1) The Tales of Yu-Gi-Oh
by IlaGolden
Summary: This is the first book in the Tales Saga. The Tales Saga is an alternate version of Yu-Gi-Oh which rewrites the story from the end of Battle City onwards. It started with the original premise of 'what would happen if Mai didn't wake up at the end of Battle City' and went from there. It focuses on the fantasy and interpersonal relationship levels of Yu-Gi-Oh rather than the dueling.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Joey stood over Mai's bed and gave a heavy sigh. The battle city tournament was over, Marik defeated and he should have been happy. The problem was the evil which had controlled Marik had prevented his good side from releasing those trapped in the shadow realm. It was the last thing he'd done before his destruction, but it couldn't have been a crueller blow. It meant Bakura was still missing and Mai's mind was still trapped. It killed Joey to think there was nothing he or Yugi could do about it.

At his request the others had left him on his own at Mai's bedside. He needed some time to apologise for failing her, but the words just wouldn't come out of his mouth. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts he neglected to hear the approaching footsteps.

'How is she?' The sound of her voice made him jump.

'The same, Sis,' he turned towards her, 'I'm really worried about her.'

'We all are, Joey.' Serenity sighed. 'But there has to be something we can do, right?'

Joey couldn't find the words to answer her question. Truth was he didn't know and that frightened him. After a few moments Serenity sat down next to him and the silence continued. Minutes passed by, but as far as Joey was concerned the world might as well be standing still. He felt as though a piece of him was trapped in the shadows along with Mai and he didn't know how to get either of them out again. After what felt like an age a young girl with blonde hair and brown eyes entered. She was wearing a nurse's uniform, yet she didn't look much older than his sister. But it was more than that; there was something familiar about her face even though he was certain he'd never met her before.

'Who are you?' Joey frowned. 'And what are you doing here?'

'I'm a nurse obviously,' her voice was almost too bright and cheery, 'and I'm here to see how Mai's doing, if that's okay.'

'I might be being paranoid here, but aren't you too young to be a nurse?'

'Appearance can be deceiving,' an almost false smile pulled across her face, 'I assure you I'm a lot older than I look. Trust me; I'm at least old enough to know what I am doing here. Now if you please, I would like to check on the patient.'

Without waiting for permission she began to examine Mai. She appeared to know what she was doing and there was something about her confidence which all but calmed Joey's uneasiness about her. But just as she was about to finish she paused and, for the longest time, just stood there in a strange kind of trance.

'What's wrong with you?' Joey found himself grabbing hold of her shoulders.

For a moment her face filled with a look of confusion, quickly replaced by one of embarrassment. She then muttered an apology under her breath and hastily backed out of the room.

'She was weird Joey, what do you think was wrong with her?'

'I don't know.' He found himself staring at the door. 'But it better not have anything to do with Mai, I mean she's got enough problems as it is.'

'You don't think there's something wrong with Mai, do you?' Serenity sounded worried. 'I mean more than there is already.'

'I hope not.'

He didn't know what it was, but there was something about the nurse which put Joey on edge. It was something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Something he had felt from the moment she'd entered the room and it was making him feel even more worried by the second. He was about to ask his sister if she felt the same, when Tristan and Duke burst in.

'So how's Mai?' Tristan's voice was almost too loud for the question being asked.

'Still the same.' Serenity lowered her gaze. 'There was a nurse in just now checking on her, but she didn't tell us anything.'

'When?'

'Just before you came in. Didn't you see her?'

'No and we were outside for a while, figured we'd give you and Joey some time alone.' Tristan shook his head. 'Plus I needed to remind Duke of a few things.'

'Yeah right.' Duke rolled his eyes.

'You say something?' Joey turned to face them. 'I'm sorry I was a million miles away.'

'So what's new?'

'Hey watch it.'

'Well he is right Joey.' Serenity giggled.

'I thought you were meant to be on my side.' He shook his head. 'Anyway I was thinking about that weird nurse.'

'She was a bit strange, but I wouldn't say she was weird.'

'Are you sure there was a nurse in here, cuz we didn't see her leave.' Tristan frowned.

'Yes I'm sure.' A feeling of agitation spiked through Joey. 'What, are you calling me and Serenity liars now?'

'No, nothing of the sort.'

'But you've gotta admit it's weird.' Duke folded his arms. 'That neither of us saw her leave, I mean.'

'Yeah, well there was something a bit freaky about her anyway.' Joey shrugged. 'Ah forget it we've got bigger things to worry about.'

'Like what?' Tristan threw him an inquisitive look.

'Like finding a way of helping Mai.' Joey stared down at her. 'Or had you forgotten her minds trapped in the shadow realm?'

'But what can we do?' Tristan sighed.

'How should I know?' Joey snapped. 'But there's got to be something.'

'We could always ask Yugi.' Duke tilted his head in thought. 'I mean, it doesn't take a genius to know that guy understands this stuff a lot better than we do.'

'Yeah, well you go find him if you want,' Joey perched himself on the edge of the room's empty bed, 'I'm gonna stay here and keep an eye on her for a while.'

'Come on Duke,' Tristan gave Joey an odd look, before turning to leave, 'let's go get Yugi.'

With that they both left and silence returned to the room.

'Are you alright Joey?' Serenity's voice broke into the empty train of thoughts he was having.

'Yeah I'm fine.'

'Do you mind if I leave? Only I need to see Téa about something.'

'No you go Sis,' he shot her a weak smile, 'I'll be fine.'

He watched as she left the room, before focusing his attention back on Mai. A part of him felt bad, really bad, that she was like this. It was a deep sense of guilt for not being able to fulfil his promise to her and it clung to him like a bad smell. A shuffling of feet behind him made him turn. Expecting to see that his sister had return, he was surprise to find the young nurse stood there instead. For what felt like the longest heartbeat in the world neither of them said anything, but it didn't take a genius to know the silence wasn't going to last.

'Joey?' She began unsure of herself. 'Are you Joey Wheeler? I mean, that is what you call yourself, right?'

'Yeah,' he frowned at her choice of words, 'what do you want?'

'I need your help.'

'For what?'

'I can't tell you,' she murmured with a strange level of confusion. 'I just do is all.'

'Well maybe I don't want to help you.' Joey folded his arms.

'Ah but you do.' Her eyes glinted strangely.

'And just why would that be?'

'Because I can help you.' A look of excitement crossed her face.

'How?' Joey almost couldn't hide the curiosity he was feeling.

'I can help you get Mai back.' She breathed. 'But only if you promise to help me.'

'No way,' he turned from her, 'I don't trust anyone who says that.'

'But I can. I can help you.' Her voice peaked with excitement. 'I can help you if you will help me. I promise and I never break a promise. Not to anyone.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Joey thought about it for a long time before answering. The nurse filled him with very strong and very mixed feelings. On the one hand there was something honest about her proposal, but at the same time something was urging him not to trust her. The silence created by his thinking was so intense that when he finally did speak it sounded loud and awkward.

'How do I know that you won't just disappear when it comes to holding up your end?'

'Oh Joey, if only you knew.'

'Knew what?'

'It doesn't matter.' She lowered her gaze. 'Not now at least. Maybe not even ever. But you can trust me, I wouldn't betray you. I could never betray you.'

'Really?'

'On my heart.'

Joey still didn't know what to make of her, but since they didn't currently have any other leads he figured he should give her the benefit of the doubt. For now at any rate.

'So what's your name?'

'What one do you want?'

'How many do you have?'

'Two,' she looked confused for a moment, 'sometimes more, it depends.'

'On what?'

'I don't know; the situation mainly I think.' The confusion lifted from her face. 'I guess the best name I could give you would be Catilin Ashmar. After all it is the one you should know me by.'

'What do you mean by that?'

'Nothing, it's not important.'

There was a pause whilst Joey gave her a quick once over. He had the feeling there was something going on inside of her own mind she wasn't quite aware of, but if she was clueless about it then so was he.

'So what is it you want me to do?' Joey broke the silence.

'I can't tell you,' her face filled with a strange kind of alertness, 'not yet at least. First I want to help your friend.'

'But...'

'What I need from you can wait, but Mai can't. We help her and then you'll help me.'

'Okay, I'm convinced.' Joey tried to sound more self-assured than he felt. 'So what do we have to do then. To help Mai I mean.'

'Not yet.' Catilin shook her head.

'Huh,' he stared at her, 'but you just said…'

'Yes, but before I can do a thing for your sake or mine I've got to…' she paused and just looked confused again. 'I can't tell you.'

'You can't tell me much can you?' He threw her a funny look.

'I'm sorry,' she lowered her gaze, 'but I'm not really sure I understand it all myself yet. And... and I know there's only so much I can tell you without risking everything. You have no idea the kind of trouble I could be in; I mean, if anyone were to know I was here...'

'What kind of trouble?'

'I don't know,' she looked confused again. 'I don't know why I would be in trouble, I just know I will be. So you can't tell anyone I'm here. Not anyone. I can't risk... I just can't.' Her expression relaxed for a moment. 'I have to go now, but I'll be back soon. And I promise once I return, I'll have everything you need for helping Mai.'

With that she disappeared. Literally disappeared, leaving nothing but thin air in the space she'd formally occupied.

'I knew she wasn't a nurse.' Joey shifted his gaze back towards Mai. 'But she'd better be able to do what she says she can do. I'm going crazy here.'

'Shouldn't talking to yourself be proof enough of that?' Tristan's voice sounded from behind him.

'What?' Joey spun round in alarm. 'How much of what I said did you hear?'

'Just the going crazy part.' He shrugged. 'Why, what else did you say?'

'It doesn't matter.' He sighed. 'I thought you were going to find Yugi.'

'I was, but he was busy with something, so I thought I'd come back.' He stared aimlessly around the room. 'So where's Serenity?'

'Gone to find Téa.'

'Oh. Well I'm going to go on a walk, you want to come? I mean it'll do you good to stretch your legs for a while.'

'I don't know,' Joey shook his head, 'I feel like I should stay here.'

'Oh come on, what's going to happen if you're not around for a few minutes?'

'I guess you're right,' he pulled a face. 'Okay, I'll go.'

'A little more enthusiasm wouldn't go amiss you know.' Tristan rolled his eyes.

Joey shrugged, got to his feet and followed Tristan out of the room. Most of his being was hoping the mysterious Catilin wouldn't return during his absence. They'd only gone a short distance, when Duke came rushing up to them.

'Yugi wants to see us all right away.' He panted. 'Come on follow me.'

* * *

They'd just begun to sprint down the maze of corridors when all of a sudden Joey froze. The other two skidded to a stop and turned back to face him.

'Hey what's wrong? Why'd you stop?' Tristan frowned at him.

Joey didn't reply. Instead he stood there, eyes wide-open, mouth gaping, skin deathly pale. A sick feeling of dread moved through Tristan's stomach.

'Alright Joey, nice joke. Now come on, we've got to go see Yugi.'

Still Joey didn't reply and the feeling of dread in Tristan's stomach grew.

'Hey Joey, you're starting to freak me out. Move already.'

'Maybe we should go get Yugi.' Duke placed a hand on his shoulder.

'Oh man,' Tristan ran his fingers back through his hair, 'I really don't wanna leave him like this.'

'Then I'll go get Yugi. You wait here.' Duke turned and sprinted off again.

'Joey, are you in there?' Tristan turned his attention back to his friend. 'Come on man wake up.'

* * *

Joey wasn't sure how it happened, but he found himself stood in dark and barren wasteland. There was something familiar about the place, but he was too stunned from finding himself there to figure out what it was. After a few moments of staring around he spotted the ghostly image of a child who couldn't have been more than about ten. There was something about his face which filled Joey with a strange sense of recognition; like coming across an old school friend you hadn't seen since you were six.

'Hello?' The child called as he examined his surroundings. 'Anyone else here?'

Joey wanted to answer, but the words just caught in his throat. Instead he just stood there watching the boy; waiting to be noticed.

'Hello? Anybody?'

'Hi.' Another boy of about the same age appeared behind the first, making him jump.

The look of relief on the first boy's face said it all. It was clear he glad of the company and Joey got the feeling they'd both been here for a while.

'Who are you?' The first boy fixed his gaze on the second.

'Makay Lutoni. You?'

'Sil Ashmar.'

'So Sil, do you think we're the only ones here?'

'Dunno,' Sil shrugged, 'probably.'

'Where do you think this place is? I mean, it's awfully dead, isn't it? Not at all like my garden at home. That's full of life that is. Really beautiful, everyone say so.'

'Really?'

'Oh yes. So good in fact that the High Priestess herself said it was a garden even Mov could be proud of.'

'So?' Sil shook his head slightly.

'So what?' Makay frowned, clearly not picking up on Sil's disinterest.

'Nothing.'

'I wonder what type of soil this is,' Makay began to examine their surroundings, 'because I've got some bulbs with me from one of my favourite plants. I was going to give them to the Temple, but it won't matter if I plant a few here. That's if we have the right type of soil of course.'

'Of course.' Sil rolled his eyes. 'So you're a gardener then?'

'Gera Elementalist born and raised.'

Joey had been so engrossed with their conversation he'd failed to notice the approach of two more ghostly boys. One of them had a shock of chaotic black hair; the other had a well groomed mass of white.

'Hi,' the black haired boy began, making the other two jump, 'are you lost here too?'

'Yes.' Sil and Makay replied in unison.

'Told you.'

'Oh for the want of it,' the white haired boy sighed. 'I was all hopeful you might be angel guides sent to help us weary souls, not that you were weary souls yourselves.'

'Have you been here for long then?' Makay tilted his head.

'No,' the dark haired boy pulled a face, 'it just feels like it.'

Sil shot him an understanding glance and for a moment there was silence.

'I'm Sil Ashmar,' he did his best to smile, 'and this is Makay Lutoni.'

'I'm Konious Chaosa,' the dark haired boy returned the weak smile, 'and this is Macar Odray.'

'A pleasure, I'm sure, to meet you all.' Macar burst with nervous energy.

'Oh don't you ever shut up?' Konious rolled his eyes. 'All you ever do is go on and on pontificating in that annoying overly elaborate language of yours.'

'My what a temper you have,' Macar stared at him, 'you must have a lot of Ni in you, don't you thinks so? And what a magnificent thing that is, oh how I wish I could be more like a God. It must be so marvellous for you.'

'For the love of… You just don't get it do you?'

'Calm down.' Sil stepped in as mediator. 'We're going to have to work together whether we like it or not, so we might as well try being civil to each other.'

Joey had just picked up enough courage to see if the ghostly apparitions could see him, when he found himself face to face with Tristan.

'Hey where'd they go?' He stared around in confusion.

'Where'd who go?' Tristan frowned.

'The boys?'

'What boys? And what the hell just happened to you? One minute you were running along and the next you were dead on your feet; like in some kind of freaky trance.'

'Tristan,' a voice called from behind them, 'is Joey alright?'

'He is now.'

'Joey?' Yugi breathed, checking for himself his friend really was alright. 'What happened, Duke came in shouting there was something wrong with you and you were in some sort of trance.'

'He was,' Tristan's eyes examined Joey carefully, 'right up till just a minute ago. Then he suddenly came to.'

'Well what happened, why'd he go like that?' Now it was Yugi's turn to throw around the curious looks.

'I was just asking him the same thing when you showed up.' Tristan shrugged. 'Well Joey?'

'Well what?' Joey averted his gaze.

'Well what happened to you?'

Joey hesitated. He wasn't sure why, but something told Joey his friends weren't to know about what he'd seen during his so called trance. He had this strong, inexplicable feeling it had to have something to do with Catilin, but what he didn't know.

'I don't wanna talk about it,' he shrugged and turned away from them. 'I'm gonna go check on Mai again now. Catch you later.'

Without waiting for a reply from the others, he left. When he arrived back in Mai's room he slumped down onto the chair by her bed and waited. Within seconds he found himself overwhelmingly tired. Stretching, he yawned as his mind began to feel like it was slowly sinking away from him. Barely able to keep his eyes open it wasn't long before he found himself drifting off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

A cold gust of wind made Joey's eyes fling open. To his surprise he found himself once again in the barren wasteland. Only this time he was lying flat on his back. He shot up and stared around instantly spotting Sil and the other boys making their way towards him.

'We should make camp for the night.' Sil brought the group to a stop.

'How do you know its night?' Konious looked sceptical. 'It's been dark since we got here. For all we know it's the middle of the day.'

'Well let's set up camp anyway,' there was something about Sil which carried an air of authority, 'that way we'll at least have a base.'

'Alright, but where?'

'How about over by that stone?'

The stone was about a hundred yards behind where Joey was standing. In order to get to it the boys would have to walk passed him. Realising this was his best opportunity to introduce himself to them Joey got to his feet and dusted himself off. Once they reached him, however, the boys walked right through him and continued to make their way towards the stone.

'What the…?' He gasped in amazement.

Not one of the boys had reacted to his presences at all. From the way they just past through him, he might as well not have been there and in his mind something told him he probably wasn't. Since the first time he'd spotted them he'd been bothered by the tunics they'd been wearing. He'd been trying to tell himself there ghostly appearance had just changed his perception of their clothes, but that lie wasn't going to wash with him anymore. He didn't share the same space in time they did and he was just going to have to accept that. Filled with a strange level of disappointment, he watched the boys set up their camp.

'You know,' Makay's features twisted in thought, 'this soil doesn't appear to be very good soil. You couldn't plant much here without it dying. And even if it didn't die it wouldn't grow well.'

'Really?' Macar stared at him wide-eyed. 'But that must mean Mov doesn't exist within this soil. And if there's no Mov… I don't wanna be here no more.' He wailed. 'This place is the foulest most inconceivable incarnation of hell I could possible imagine. I'm too young to be seized in the jaws of Ni and his demonic army. Let me go, oh do let me go.'

'Oh don't be so wet.' Konious rolled his eyes. 'Complaining isn't going to make the slightest bit of difference and I think somewhere inside that sappy little head of yours you know it.'

'That's not very nice.' Makay shot him a disapproving look.

'I'm afraid to say it Konious, but I'm going to have to agree.' Sil sighed. 'But even so,' he turned his attention towards Macar, 'do you really need to be quite so vocal about your worries?'

'Oh by my life.' Macar sobbed. 'By my life I…'

'Have never been so wet.' Konious smirked.

Macar's cheeks reddened and he went into a sulky silence.

'I think you should apologise.' Sil shot Konious an angry look.

'For what? I've shut the little whiner up, haven't I? You should be thanking me.'

'What are you Konious, a savage?' Sil's eyes glinted angrily as he puffed out his chest. 'Have you no Odraian values in you at all? We are but a year off learning our Elementals and four off being men; you should have learnt by now what it means to be Odraian. We are not a violent people. We do not start wars. You shall apologise and what's more you shall mean it.'

For a moment Konious and Sil's eyes locked in a silent battle of wills. The other two held their breaths, unsure as to what he would do and even Joey found himself stepping back nervously, anticipating a fight was about to ensue. Then, to everyone's great surprise, Konious relented.

'I'm sorry,' he half turned his gaze away and, of his own accord, he reached a hand out towards Macar. 'We got off on the wrong foot and if you can promise not to be so wet, I'll promise not to be so easily irritated. You're just... a little different, that's all.'

Macar gave him a questioning look before accepting his kind gesture.

'May the Gods bless us both with a long and happy friendship.' Macar grinned.

'Whatever.'

'Well,' Sil let out a sharp breath, 'now that's been sorted maybe we should think about getting some rest.'

'I don't know if I can.' Makay wrapped his arms around his middle. 'I'm so hungry my stomach's rumbling something awful.'

'We're all hungry; you'll just have to put up with it.'

'Back home there's a corner in my garden devoted to food. I have fruit trees, berry bushes, roots and even barley. It smells so delicious down there I feel hungry every time I pass it. Everyone admires my garden.' His eyes shone with excitement. 'They do, people always tell me so. Did I tell you I have bulbs on me the High Priestess herself asked me for? She did, really she did. Didn't I tell you so?'

'Really?' Macar looked impressed. 'The High Priestess of Mov asked you for bulbs?'

'Yes,' Makay beamed, 'she told me my garden was worthy of Mov. A little heaven. She did, she really did.'

'You must be a truly magnificent gardener. Yours is a gift from the great goddess.'

'That's what everyone tells me. And I'm a Gera user.'

'As enjoyable as this conversation is,' Sil yawned, 'I'm feeling very sleepy now. So if you don't mind, could you please let me get some sleep?'

Reluctantly the two boys quietened down. As they did, however, their ghostly images began to fade until they weren't there at all. Joey moved to the spot the boys had been in a few moments before, but to his disappointment discovered his eyes had not been playing tricks on him.

'What the hell is going on in this freaky place?'

For a moment he closed his eyes. He didn't know why, but some instinct told him he needed his eyes closed in order to focus. What he was supposed to be focusing on, however, eluded him and with little else he could do he opened his eyes again.

'Ah,' he was surprised to find himself back at Mai's bedside. 'This is getting way too freaky.'

'What is?' A voice asked from behind him, making him jump.

'Yugi,' he turned round to face him, 'don't sneak up on me like that.'

'I didn't. I came in here and you were asleep. I've been waiting five minutes for you to wake up.' He gave Joey a curious look. 'So what's getting too freaky?'

'Oh nothing.' He shrugged and looked away.

'Now you're my best friend and I wouldn't like to think you were keeping anything from me, but you are acting very suspiciously. So... are you sure there's nothing worrying you?'

'Look Yugi I'm not… It's complicated.'

'Why?'

'Because it is.' He turned his attention back towards Mai. 'I don't quite understand it myself. And I'm not sure I'm meant to but…'

'Maybe talking about it will help.'

'But that's the problem. I can't.'

'Why not?'

'I don't know.' He shifted awkwardly in his seat. 'I just know I can't.'

'Well if you change your mind I promise I'll be here to listen.'


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Troubled by his friend's strange behaviour, Yugi returned to his room and flopped back onto his bed. He then took the Millennium Puzzle into his hands and sighed deeply.

'Are you alright Yugi?' The ghostly image of the Pharaoh appeared above him.

'I'm worried about Joey. Something's bothering him and he won't tell me what it is.'

'I'm sure his has a good reason for that.'

'Well if he has then he won't tell me that either.' He sighed again.

The Pharaoh shot him a sympathetic look and was about to speak again, when a loud cough from the other end of the room made them both jump. In hides of a shadowy corner, they could just make out a clocked figure. Instantly Yugi glanced towards the bag he was now keeping the Millennium Items he acquired in. Between them they held a lot of power, maybe even too much power, he couldn't let them fall into the wrong hands.

'I'm sorry to disturbs you.' A voice trembled across the space between him and the figure. 'You weren't to know I was here at all. In fact I was just about to leave but…' the stranger paused. 'I had to see if it was you, I just had to.'

'Who are you? What do you want?'

'No one, no one at all I promise. In fact, to prove it to you I'll go now.'

With that the cloaked figure disappeared, leaving Yugi feeling even more disconcerted than before. His gaze shifted towards the Pharaoh, who was clearly lost in his own thoughts.

'I wonder who that was.' Yugi frowned. 'There was something about them... I mean, I know we couldn't see their face, but... they felt more like an old friend than a stranger, don't you think?'

The Pharaoh didn't reply.

'Are you alright? You don't think they were after the millennium items, do you?'

The Pharaoh's head moved from side to side almost vacantly and Yugi couldn't help but wonder if he'd heard him at all. He could sense the Pharaoh was thinking deeply about something and no amount of talking to him would get a response before he was ready.

* * *

The Pharaoh could hear Yugi calling out to him, but his voice registered as little more than background noise. Something about the stranger had unlocked something inside of him. Long forgotten memories began playing through his head until suddenly he was hit by the clearest one of all...

* * *

It had been a particularly hot day in the height of the dry season. The young prince was barely into his teens, but his thoughts were already clouded with the prospect of ruling. So much so he had skipped his lessons in order to roam aimlessly through the busy streets of Memphis. It had felt like a good plan at the time, but without his cousin to share in the excitement he was quickly getting bored. Just as he was contemplating returning back to the palace shouts from somewhere nearby caught his attention. Skilfully he manoeuvred his way through the crowd in order to see what was going on.

To his surprise a boy, no more than one year his elder, tall, with a shock of blond hair and dressed in simple garments was shouting at a man twice his size and age. The reason for his anger appeared to be a flowerbed full of weeds at the front of the man's tavern.

'How can you, when the vast part of your country is desert, restrict what plant life that does grow by surrounding it with weeds,' the youngster's eyes pricked with anger. 'By Mov it is a crime, it's a sheer crime.'

'By Mov, hey?' The landlord's face filled with a look of annoyance. 'You're not from round here are you boy? Well if I were you, I'd quit your whimpering and return home. Or else you could be in for a lot of trouble.'

'You savage!' The boy growled. 'How dare you threaten me?'

'Oh I dare, my lad. It's up to you to decide how serious I am.'

The pair locked eyes, neither all that willing to back down. Then, after what felt like an eternity, the boy gave. Snorting, he turned and walked quickly towards the outskirts of the city. Curious as to the identity of the youth the prince followed him. Aware of this the boy picked up speed and tried to lose his stalker in the maze of streets. But to no avail. Irritated upon leaving the city, he turned round to confront his follower.

'What do you think you're following me for?'

'I wanted to find out why you got so angry about a few weeds?' The prince approached him.

'A few weeds?' The lad looked as though he were about to explode with anger. 'There were more weeds than plants.'

'But even so...' he stammered, 'you seemed to take it all far too seriously.'

'Are you kidding me?' The youngster gave a bitter laugh. 'I didn't take it seriously enough. If only I had held my ground, I'm sure I could have made him give. But no, I had to think too much of my own life. I am not worthy of my name.'

'What does your name have to do with anything?'

The boy ignored him and walked further out into the desert. Unwilling to end their conversation with so many unanswered questions, the prince was compelled to follow him. After a short way they stopped. The older boy then bent down and wrot in the sand.

'Smut? What does that mean?'

'It's pronounced Sim-oat,' the boy corrected him, 'and it's my name.'

'Your name? Why'd you write your name in the sand?'

'To try to remind myself of who I'm meant to be.'

'And has it?'

'Sort of,' Simüte glanced up at the prince. 'So what's your name anyway?'

'Yoam Atem Ana-her.'

Almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth he regretted it. What was the point in disguising yourself if you were going to tell a complete stranger your real name?

'And how old are you?' The boy appeared unfazed by Yoam's identity.

'I began my thirteenth year thirty-three days ago at the start of the dry season.' He felt as though his nerves were doing the talking for him.

'That was a long-winded reply.' The older boy gave him a bemused look.

'Well how old are you?'

'I turned fourteen last week.'

'Where do you come from?'

'I was born in the Silkoniousmacarmakayeon province of Lun, a stones through away from the Odraian capital. I was lucky, in that way.'

'Why is that lucky?'

'Well,' Simüte tilted his head to one side, 'not only did I grow up surrounded by my own kind, but I also got to experience the life of the mother kind.'

'Huh?'

'My kind are not Odraians, but we evolved from them. And as such both cultures are fairly similar and get on well. We have provinces in their cities and they have provinces in ours.'

'It all sounds very confusing to me.' Yoam shook his head.

'So where are you from?'

'Well I was born in Memphis, but I've travelled around a lot.'

'Your family traders then?'

'No, my dad's the Pharaoh.'

'No way,' Simüte laughed, 'are you serious?'

'Yes.'

'Well I guess Lillyannu was right, power does attract power.'

'What does that mean?'

'Well, it means that people who have power are attracted to other people who have power. It's like they can sense it and why you tend to find powerful people making friends with other powerful people.'

'But you don't look very powerful to me.'

'No I don't suppose I do dressed like this. But then again neither do you.'

'True enough I suppose. So what makes you so, err, powerful?'

'I'm the first son of the third house. When my father dies I shall take over his spot in the ruling council.' Simüte stuck his tongue distastefully. 'But I don't ever want to be like my father, he's forgotten his roots. To him everything is about order, regulations and control. But life is like the plants, untameable. All you can really do is plant it in good soil and hope it grows well. Like my ancestors my roots are buried deep into the soil, but my father's are not buried at all. And to add further insult to this he says that I need to learn what it means to be a son of the Lutoni house. Me, as if he's the one who's got it right.' A look of defiance glinted in his eyes. 'But Lutoni are givers of life, not organiser of it. Makay was a gardener, the greatest; his legacy was the creation of Silkoniousmacarmakay's paradise gardens. Since him all Lutoni's have been gardeners, who understand the relationship between our people and nature. My father is a Lutoni only in name; to say any different would make _**MY**_ ancestors turn over in their graves.' He kicked the ground angrily, his face flushed with the passion of his speech.

'Do you hate your father?'

'Hate? Never! My people don't know the meaning of the word.' Simüte shook his head. 'Besides which he is my father. I might not respect him or agree with him, but I owe him my unconditional love. No matter what else he might be, he is my father.'

* * *

Yugi began to feel uncomfortable; the Pharaoh had been staring motionlessly into space for a long time.

'Yami?' He ventured anxiously. 'Are you alright?'

'Yes Yugi,' he blinked as if the spell he was under was finally broken.

'Are you alright, you've been a little out of it for a while now.'

'I'm sorry to have worried you. I was just remembering a long forgotten friend.'

'Oh... Do you mind if I ask who?'

'Of course not, Yugi. His name was Simüte Lutoni; I met him when I was a young boy. We were friends for many years and…' suddenly his eyes went wide. 'I've just realised something, Simüte Lutoni he... he looked exactly like Joey.'


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Joey had been trying to keep himself awake all night long. It didn't matter that he felt so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. Or that every time he closed his eyes all he could see was the wasteland and the haunting images of the four boys. Because every fibre of his being knew the mysterious Catilin could explain everything to him and until she did he was determined not to sleep. Unfortunately his plan was more than he could handle and, after a night long battle, he found himself once again in the blackened wasteland.

This time he found himself a few meters away from Makay, who was busy planting a row of unusual looking flowers into the earth. There was something about the look on the ghostly boy's face which suggested he was in some kind of trance. A trance which ended when he finished planting the last bulb and was surprise to find out where he was. Jumping to his feet he spun around and, in his confusion, trampling the line of flowers.

'Oh,' he dropping back down to his knees, 'now even if I were to dig you up and replant you in my garden, you wouldn't survive. Poor flowers, it doesn't seem fair. What am I doing back here anyway?' His voice began to crack. 'I don't like it here, especially not if I'm all on my own. And my poor little Lunus flowers, you could have been so beautiful and now look. Oh.'

Tears ran slowly down his face and dripped sorrowfully onto one of the unusual flowers. Makay was too distraught to notice what happened next, but Joey saw it all. As each tear hit the ground a patch of grass appeared and spread. The more Makay wept, the greater the plant life which formed. Soon, as far as the eye could see, the land was a rich and colourful garden of trees and plants of all kinds. As Makay's tears stopped and he noticed the changes in the landscape, Sil, Konious and Macar appeared.

'What in the name of Mov happened to this place?' Macar stared around in wonder.

'Does it matter?' Konious shook his head. 'None of this is going to survive without sunlight or rain and, for as long as we've been here, I've not seen either.'

'He's got a point...' Sil began.

But before he could get any further, the dismal black sky turned a clear blue, dotted in places by fluffy white clouds. A bright sun shone down on them, warming the landscape as it never had been before.

'By the power of the Gods this is a miracle.' Macar murmured. 'Even you couldn't deny that Konious.'

'I hate to admit your right, but what choice do I have.'

As the other three boys stared in wonder at the new world around them, Sil bent down to examined something on the ground where the unusual flowers had previously been. The object was a circle made up of three stones with a silver band round the edge to hold them in place. Each of the three stones was exactly a third of the circle, one was black, one white, the third grey and each shone with the promise of its own power.

'Here,' Sil held it up for the others to look at, 'take a look at this strange thing.'

'There's something mystical about it, that's for sure.' Konious frowned. 'Does anyone else get the feeling a part of it is calling out to them?'

'Yeah!' The others called in unison.

'Maybe that's a sign,' Sil mused. 'What is this thing anyway?'

'The stones look almost like crystals,' Konious studied it closely, 'I believe someone once told me stones like that were called Crystella.'

'I've never heard of Crystella,' Macar shook his head, 'but I think it's a good name for them. The way they glow, they seem almost luminous, don't they?'

'Lunus Crystella,' Sil smiled strangely, 'that's what we'll call them. But as a part of it seems to call out to each of us, we'll name the individual parts too.'

'Name them what?' Makay gave him a curious look.

'Well how about after us, our Pre-Passage names. The grey one is mine, so that's Ashmar.'

'That makes the black one Chaosa.'

'And the white one Odray.'

'But we can't just call the ring Lutoni,' Makay's face fell in dismay. 'It's not much to look at compared to the rest of it; how will anyone know its mine?'

'How about calling it the Lutoni Ring?' Sil tilted his head in thought.

'Yes, I like that,' Makay grinned, 'the Lutoni Ring.'

'Then it's settled...'

Before Sil could finish what he was saying, the Lunus Crystella began to glow and in the blink of an eye had disappeared. All four boys cried out, three in complete confusion and one in blinding pain. The pain was such that its victim fell crippled to the floor, screaming with all the life in him.

'Sil what is it? What's wrong?' Konious moved towards him.

Sil flailed his arms wildly in an attempt to answer, indicating the cause of his agony was his back. The others tore into the flimsy material which covered his skin to discover the glowing Lunus Crystella had lodged itself into the lower left side of his back. They vainly attempted its removal, but were horrified to discover it was fused to the skin in a most awful fashion. After what felt like an age Sil's screams began to dim and quieten till they were nothing more than a whimper. Almost in syncopation with this the Lunus Crystella's glow began to darken, till it shone only as much as it did when they first encountered it.

In shock the three boys fell back and shot pitying looks in Sil's direction.

'My back,' he gulped, 'what's wrong with my back?'

'The Lunus Crystella,' Konious began in a terrified whisper, 'it's become part of it.'

'How?'

'It's burned in, melted the skin.'

'Oh...' the sound was almost painful to hear. 'Well can it be taken out?'

'I don't think so.'

'Oh.'

'Does it still hurt?' Makay's voice trembled.

'Not so much now,' Sil blinked back tears, 'and I feel... strange somehow.'

'Can you get up?'

The Lutoni boy offered his hand as support for his fallen friend. Gratefully Sil took it and, heavily wincing, he pulled himself to his feet. He nearly collapsed again as a strong wave of pain hit him. Leaning on Makay he stared wide-eyed round at the others. Then taking a deep breath in he let go of his supporting friend and took a few unsure steps forward. His face was then awash with gratitude at the fact this simple task hadn't brought him any further distress.

'I feel different... strange somehow,' he reiterated his previous statement. 'Powerful I think and maybe slightly wild. Like I could run the world twice over and still not feel tired or trapped by anything or anyone. I feel free; it's a strange sensation like none I've ever known. I've felt free before, but not like this. I feel like there's nothing I can't do, not if I really try. I think you're meant to feel this way too. And others, lots of others, a whole civilisation, a whole species, a new breed. The four of us, we're just the first that's why we were brought here. We're meant to lead these people; be more powerful than any of them. Work as a team, be fair to all, know this, know it all, be the start of something great. We'll live along side our mother species, be with the Odraians, but we are not Odraians.'

'What on earth are you talking about?' Macar squeaked in horror.

'But we're not on Earth. We're here in a world created by us. A light born from shadows, a shadow born from light. So that we can exist somewhere that is our own and somewhere which was. Don't you feel it?'

'No.'

'Well you will soon I promise you. Look around you, all of this is ours. This is Silkoniousmacarmakay and we are Silkoniousmacarmakayeons.'

'That seems awfully long winded.' Konious interrupted.

'To us maybe,' Sil nodded, 'but to our descendents it will be a thing of pride, a thing of honour.'

'It'll end up getting shortened.' Makay pulled a face.

'Not by us or by the Odraians. It'll be the Standing humans, their laziness that does it.'

'But the Standing humans have only just emerged from the caves.' Konious snorted. 'They can barely string a line of words together to make a sentence of any kind. For the love of life Sil, they think living in simply made huts is impressive.'

'But they'll grow. The only difference between them and us is a couple hundred years or so. They may never be like us, but we could oh so easily be like them.'

'Sil's right,' Makay nodded, 'I've seen some of them; they look almost Odraian. I could barely tell the difference till I got up close.'

'But this is beside the point.' Sil looked almost irritated by the brief change of conversation. 'The point is we are a new species. A whole new breed. Now close your eyes and think of an animal.'

'What!' The others cried in surprise. 'Why?'

'Don't ask questions just do it. You'll soon see why.'

They did as they were told and before Joey's eyes the boys transformed. Sil into a big cat, Macar into a swan, Konious into a falcon and Makay into a silver wolf. Then everything around Joey faded, the boys disappeared and the beautiful landscape dissolved back into wasteland.

'What?' His body filled with a mixture of disappointment and alarm. 'What happened to everything?'

'A circle of six,' Catilin's voice sounded from behind him, 'six versions of the same story and this is ours. This is our version. It's not the only version, but it is ours. Like this land is ours. This version of this land is what makes us different.'

'What... what are you talking about?' Joey frowned at her. 'Six versions of what? Of that? Of those boys? Of what I just saw? I don't understand.'

'You don't need to understand,' she looked almost confused for a moment, 'you just need to know this is our version. And this version is what makes us different.'

'Different to who?'

'The shadows. The game.'

'What?'

'The light has returned to shadows Joey. What makes our version different lives within these shadows. You play a dangerous game, look at the sky and tell me where have you seen one like it before?'

'The shadow realm,' Joey gasped as he stared up at the purpling clouds above him, 'I never even noticed. But I... I don't understand Catilin, why am I here?'

'It's a Plain, not a Realm,' she shook her head. 'And we're here to get Mai. You can get to her from here. That's what makes our version different. If this were another version, one of the other five, it might not work this way. But this is our version so it does.'

'This circle of six has something to do with what I saw, doesn't it? Something to do with Sil and the others? What happened to them?'

'If you don't know then I can't tell you.' Catilin sighed, her features twisting with thought. 'I fear you may have seen too much, but I knew the risks. I just hope you don't learn more. Or that what you have learned won't place you in any danger. You needed to see it. I think you needed to see it. Something told me you did so I allowed you to see it. But now I fear what others know; things which are best forgotten. For the life in me I wish it were not so. This is our version. It is the only version which matters right now. It is different to the others and I fear what may come next. You had a right to know, but now you have a need to forget. Like the others should forget. Like I should forget. This is our version, but maybe it should just be forgotten.'

'What are you going on about?'

'It doesn't matter. Not now at least. I just... I just can't find my head right now. I'm not sure what's to come. I'm not sure if this is the best path or not. But I am sure of one thing; it's time to rescue Mai.'


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Yugi wasn't sure what to do with the information the Pharaoh had given him. After debating it with himself for most of the night he decided to find Joey. He wasn't sure what he would say to him exactly, but he felt as though he had a right to know. Yugi discovered him fast asleep in Mai's room. For a few minutes he wondered whether or not he should wake him up, but in the end he decided he would wait and sat down on the empty bed opposite the one Mai occupied.

He'd only been sat there for a short while when the Pharaoh appeared beside him. It was clear from the expression on his face he had been deep in thought and needed someone to talk to.

'Yugi,' his voice sounded a little dry, 'I'd like to show you something and I need the Millennium Necklace in order to do it.'

'What is it you want to show me?'

'You'll see.'

Yugi took the Millennium Necklace out of his pocket and placed it on the bed. For a few long moments there was nothing, then the necklace started to glow and soon Yugi found himself stood in what appeared to be the middle of the desert. His eyes turned questioningly towards the Pharaoh as he waited for an explanation.

'I've been up all night remembering as much as I could and I need you to know some of what happened. To help me understand.' The Pharaoh's face took on a serious expression. 'I must warn you the events you're about to witness happened a long time ago. No one you see will be able to see or hear you and that's the way it should be. Now watch here they come.'

A young girl with blonde hair and brown eyes and a boy who could easily have been Joey walked towards them.

'I don't know if you should trust him.' The girl shot the Joey lookalike a funny look.

'Oh come on, I've known him since I was fourteen, he's a good kid. You're just jealous I have other friends besides you.'

'No I'm not, I'm just worried. I mean, is it really such a good idea to have a Standing as your friend?'

Just then another lad, who could have been Yugi's double, appeared. Instinct told Yugi this was the Pharaoh as a teenager and a feeling of excitement passed through him.

'Hello Simüte,' the other Yugi smiled.

'Hey Yoam,' his friend grinned. 'There's someone here I'd like you to meet.'

'Oh?' He stared curiously at the girl at Simüte's side, who stared back at him with an equal level of curiosity.

'This is Lillyannu Ashmar, first daughter of the first house.' Simüte shoved her forward. 'She turned sixteen not so long ago and begged me to let her meet all my friends. We grew up together, but her dad's only just allowed her to go anywhere.' Then he turned towards her. Lillyannu this is my friend Yoam Atem Ana-her, he's sixteen now too, only he's been sixteen for a lot longer. He's my friend, probably my best friend. You did say you wanted to meet my friends, right?'

'Only because you're one of the few I have.' She sighed. 'How was I to know one of your friends would be a Standing?'

'A what?' Yoam frowned.

'I never use that word,' Simüte shook his head. 'Or at least I haven't since I met you. My people and the Odraians call you the Standing because of Manna, it's a bad joke really and I apologise to you for it. I never think of you like that.'

'Just like you never think of the fact his people torture ours through that... that hellish game of theirs.' Lillyannu gritted her teeth.

'They're not all evil Lilly. And besides you're the one always telling me not to be so closed minded.'

'I suppose you're right.' She relented. 'And he doesn't look all that evil. But if he even thinks about bringing _that_ game anywhere near me I shan't be responsible for my own actions.'

'Such angry words for a future queen of pacifists,' Simüte smirked and shook his head.

Throughout their discussion, the young Yoam had looked on in confusion. In the invisible world beside him Yugi wished he would ask what game it was Lillyannu was so afraid of, but he didn't.

'If you're a daughter of the first house, does that mean you'll be ruling some day?' Yoam's question made an awkward cut through the air.

'Oh he's a bright one isn't he?' She rolled her eyes.

'Well it doesn't always work like that where I come from. My auntie was older than my father, but he's Pharaoh not her.'

'That's not fair.' She looked genuinely horrified. 'Regardless of gender the oldest child always becomes head of the house when their elder has died. That's just how our world works, but I guess _yours_ wouldn't.'

'It does sometimes, just not that often.'

'I bet.'

'You know this isn't fair, you don't even know me yet you're judging everything about me on your narrow minded view of my people. But tell me what have I, as in me, as in me as an individual, on my own, ever done to you?'

His question stunned her for a moment. Unable to think of a good reason for acting as she had towards him, she sighed and turned away.

'I suppose you're right. It's just when daddy dies I'm suppose to take over from him and find a way to keep my people safe from _that_ game. Only I don't want to rule my people; I'm not ready now and I never will be. I know I never will be.'

'I know what that feels like.' Yoam smiled sadly. 'Why does the world have to work in a way that means people die. Especially Pharaohs. I mean, when the time comes, my father will be happy to join the gods and I'll be happy for him. But I don't want to replace him. I really don't think I can.'

'What choice do you have? Whether we like it or not all of us are destined for lives with more responsibility than we know how to handle. There's nothing we can do about it. I'm just glad I can have Simüte with me when I rule.'

'I'm not so sure about that.' Simüte's face filled with a thoughtful look. 'As I see it you'll have the Chaosa and Odray children to help you rule. I want to be true to my roots, work the land, explore what it really means to be Silkoniousmacarmakayeon. Or at least what it means to be a true blue Lutoni.'

'You mean you want to run wild and howl at the moon.' She rolled her eyes.

'Not at all, I've always preferred working my garden. You know that.'

'Oh really,' she smirked. 'Then it wasn't you I saw sneaking out into the desert last night.'

'It wasn't to howl at the moon.' He lowered his eyes in embarrassment.

'What on earth are you talking about?' Yoam just looked perplexed.

'In all the years you've known him he still doesn't know what you are!' Lillyannu laughed with amusement. 'Why Simüte, you really were quite negligent weren't you? I thought you said he was your friend, probably your best?'

'It never came up.'

'What not ever? I can't believe you just forgot to mention it.'

'Mention what?' Yoam was starting to appear irritated at his lack of knowledge.

For half a minute they both stared at him, then at each other.

'Well he's your friend,' Lillyannu folded her arms, 'you should explain.'

'I can do better than that,' Simüte gave a strange half laugh, 'I can show him.'

Taking a deep breath in Simüte turned to face his friend. After what felt like a very dramatic heartbeat, he closed his eyes and transformed himself into a large silver wolf. The wolf then stared up at Yoam; its eyes as yellow as Simüte's hair had been.

'You… you never told me you were Silkoneons.' Yoam spluttered.

'That's because we're not.' Lillyannu pulled her lips into a prudish pout. 'We're Silkoniousmacarmakayeons. But being a Standing I suppose you can get away with that. Just mind you don't use it often. Especially not around me.'

Yugi, who had been quietly watching this strange scene unfold, suddenly found himself back in Mai's room. Yugi's eyes then moved from Joey, who was still asleep, to the Pharaoh.

'So... so you're real name is Yoam then?'

'Yoam Atem Ana-her,' the Pharaoh frowned in thought.

'And Simüte you... you don't think that... that it could be Joey, do you? I mean the two look so much like each other; it's hard to believe there isn't some kind of connection there. What do you think?'

'I'm not sure.' Yoam shook his head. 'Not yet at least. I'm still trying to sort it all out in my head and there's a lot more I still have to remember. I'm sure in time it'll all become clear to me. But... are you sure you want to go through this journey with me, now you know what it's going to be like?'

'If it'll help you out then I want to know what happened,' Yugi nodded, 'you don't have to show me everything, just what you think we'll help you figure out your past.'


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

It felt as though they'd been walking forever and yet they were no closer to their destination than when they'd started. Catilin's behaviour continued to be very confusing. For the large part she remained silent and when she did speak she only gave Joey almost cryptic half-answers to any of his questions. There were times when he began to doubt whether or not they were even heading towards Mai. In fact he was beginning to doubt whether or not Caitlin knew what she was doing at all. In the same breath she could be almost child-like and yet completely spaced out; lucid enough to share the same mental space as him, but too far removed from it to really know what was going on. Something wasn't right with her and Joey was just about to ask her about it when she suddenly brought them to a stop.

'Joey, if I said the name Simüte to you would you have any idea who I was talking about?'

'Huh?' He gave her an odd look. 'I've never heard that name before in my life. Why, who is he?'

'Was... was he... He's long dead now.' She paused. 'He was a Lutoni.'

'As in a relatives of Makay's?'

'A descendent and Makay was his idol.' A strange smile appeared on her face. 'It was a shame really; there had never been a Lutoni more unique or passionate than Simüte. He was like this buzzing spark which made everything so much brighter. Nothing like Makay. You saw him, you know. Our Makay had something to him, but Simüte... Simüte was special.'

'Why have you brought him up now?'

'I was just thinking about my Khine mother…'

'Your what?'

'Khine means genetically identical incarnation.' She nodded her head in time to the last three words as if she needed the beat in order to say them. 'My Khine mother is an ancestor of mine I'm genetically identical to. Simüte was her best friend, close as anything. She'd even made a promise to him that he could be free, but in order to save her people she had to break that promise.'

'Why?'

'Life is complicated sometimes.' Catilin tilted her head to one side. 'We get to where we are now because of everything which has come before. And before we got here a lot of things had to be forgotten.'

'What do you mean?' Joey frowned, half worried she was going to talk in confusing cryptic again.

'I am part of a forgotten people.'

'A forgotten people?'

'In order to save my kind from a fate worse than death my ancestor saw fit to hide us and our mother kind from the world. In all six versions of the story it was a necessary evil to disconnect us from the others. And in order for us to reach the point we're at now all six had to be disconnected. But because the story wasn't always the same the differences now make us unique.'

'I'm not sure I follow you.'

'Don't you see? It's because we are now unique that we're starting early. Much earlier than the others. I don't know why. Maybe we're some kind of test, but our story was always different. They were all always different in their own way. It doesn't make sense.' She paused in thought for a moment, before continuing. 'It was all because of the game. The game was evil. To my people the game was evil. And now the game is back so maybe that's why...'

'What game?' Joey felt something cold move through his stomach.

He may have been having a little difficulty in following most of what she was on about, but in the pit of his stomach he felt as though he already knew the answer to his question.

'Not all of those who played the game were evil,' Catilin continued to ignore him, 'just some of them and they were being fought against by the great Pharaoh. He wasn't much older than my Khine and he knew Simüte too. He knew them both. He helped my people to become lost in the folds of time. The great Pharaoh, Simüte and my ancestor all together. All working together. All helped to keep my people safe. She loved him you know, the great Pharaoh, my ancestor loved him.'

'Okay...' Joey gave up trying to understand and just gave into his own confusion, 'why are you telling me all this?'

For a few long moments she paused and blinked at him strangely. Then a deep frown appeared on her face and a part of Joey had to wonder if she even remembered talking.

'It doesn't matter,' she shook her head. 'I guess it doesn't matter. If it matter then you'd know, but you don't so it doesn't. And anyway it's really not important right now. Look,' she pointed towards a pale light in the distance, 'that's where we're heading. That's where Mai is. Let's go.'


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Lillyannu was sat opposite two of the strangest looking people she'd ever met. One was a girl with wild black hair and dark brown eyes. The other was a lad, no more than one year his companion's elder, with neat white hair and light blue eyes. Just looking at them made her stomach twinge with nerves. Nerves made worse by the expectant looks on their faces as they waited for her to make the first move.

'My father has informed me that when I take over, regardless of the health of your parents, you'll automatically become my council.' She tried to sound as calm as possible. 'It's not an uncommon practice amongst the leaders of the ruling houses and it is the reason why I've asked you to meet me here today. I'm sorry if I offended you in my letter by just asking for the eldest child of your houses, but I'm afraid I don't know your names.'

'I'm Roselann Chaosa,' the girl's voice was as serious as her expression, 'and he's Drazel Odray.'

'Do you know who I am?'

'Of course,' Drazel squeaked, 'you're Lillyannu Ashmar, everyone knows who you are.'

'Is there anything you'd like to ask me?'

'Not really,' Roselann half turned away from her, 'it'll be years yet before your father dies. I'm mean think about it, I'm only nineteen, Drazel's just turned twenty and you can't be much older. So why worry about it?'

'Because anything could happen; we're not children anymore you know. We haven't been children since we turned fifteen. Face facts, we could be in charge a lot sooner than you think.'

'Why is there something wrong with the king we don't know about?' Drazel's face filled with worry.

'I... I didn't say that. I just think we need to be prepared. I've never met either of you before; it's about time we got to know each other.'

'What about the Lutoni boy, you didn't summon him.' Roselann folded her arms.

'That's because I know him. And anyway he's here somewhere; I'm just not sure where.'

Almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth, Simüte and Yoam fell out from the curtain they were hiding behind in a fit of laughter.

'What are you laughing at?' Anger spiked through her whole being.

Neither one of them was in a fit state to answer and Lillyannu felt her face reddened with fury.

'How is it that you two pests are older than me, yet act as if you were still five?' She hissed. 'You're showing me up! To your feet Simüte, you for one should know better.'

Their laughter quietened, but the pair of them remained lying awkwardly on the floor.

'I'll get to my feet,' the Lutoni grinned, 'when the floor gets on them.'

This caused another riotous fit of laughter to commence and Lillyannu's face to redden further still.

'What is with you two today,' she spat. 'You know how important this is. How would you feel Yoam if I were to burst in laughing when you were in an important meeting?'

'I hardly see its importance,' Yoam spoke through half laughed breaths. 'Besides best they know you as friends first, that way you'll be better equipped when it comes to ruling alongside them. You've always told me that trust forms the foundations of any relationship. You can trust friends more than you can acquaintances you barely know.'

'Don't use my own words against me.' Lillyannu couldn't help but snap.

'I'm not.' Yoam sat up, suddenly serious.

'Yes you are.'

'No,' he shook his head, 'I was just reminding you of some of the things you've taught me. I'd thought you'd be impressed I'd remembered.'

Their eyes met and, for a brief moment, they just stared at each other.

'So,' Simüte's voice startled them both enough to break their gaze, 'what are your new friends like Lilly?'

'Umm…' she stared at him in confusion. 'Oh right yes, well I'm not too sure yet; I've only just met them. You're welcomed to stay and find out with me.'

'No that's alright; we have to get going anyway.' He jumped to his feet and dragged Yoam towards the door. 'We'll see you later.'

'Okay.' Lillyannu couldn't help but frown. 'Goodbye then.'

* * *

Simüte continued to drag Yoam until they reached the desert, at which point he turn towards his friend with a grave look upon his face. He'd sensed something which had left him feeling uncomfortable and the only thing he could do was confront that discomfort head on.

'It's a dangerous game you're playing.'

'Huh?' Yoam blinked in confusion.

'I know you Yoam as well as I know Lilly, if not better. I could sense it from both of you. And I'm telling you now, back off!'

'Huh? What are you going on about?'

'I know you have feelings for Lilly.' Simüte folded his arms. 'And from the way you two were just staring at each other, I wouldn't be surprised if those two idiots she's with didn't know it too. But I'm telling you now it won't work. You can't have her and you know it.'

'Why not?'

'You're an Egyptian prince; she's a Silkoniousmacarmakayeon princess. Not only does that give you responsibility towards your own people's welfare, it also means that you can't just marry anyone you please.'

'Who said anything about marriage?'

'You love her, she loves you; neither of you could stop it from leading to marriage if you got together.'

'Are you jealous?'

'Even if I did love her and she loved me I would be as unable to marry her as you are. We are of ruling lines and as such our families must stay separate. I've known this my whole life and I've managed to keep my feelings appropriate because of it. So trust me when I say jealousy has nothing to do with this.'

Yoam stared at his friend for a long time and Simüte guessed it was because he was trying to figure out if what he was being told was true or not. A part of Simüte almost felt offended that his friend would doubt him, but it didn't matter because he knew what he was saying was true and Yoam would just have to realise that on his own.

'You're right,' Yoam gave a heavy sigh and turned away, 'I hate to admit it but you are.'

'I'm sorry I have to be.'

Simüte gave a heavy sigh, before taking a seat on the sand and staring thoughtfully into space. After a moment Yoam joined him. For the longest time they remained silent allowing time to elapse around them and settle the dust of a new stage in their friendship. The time for being children had well and truly passed and would never return again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

It was odd; no matter how hard he looked, Tristan couldn't find Serenity or Téa anywhere. The airship wasn't all that big and, unless they'd been constantly moving around, he should have found them easily. It was strange and, in a final attempt to discover their hiding place, he headed back towards Mai's room. The second he entered the room he could sense something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. Mai was still unconscious, Joey was fast asleep and Yugi was staring mindlessly into space. Everything looked normal on the surface, so why was his stomach clenching with dread? He forced himself to ignore the feeling and took a seat on the bed next to Yugi.

'Any change in Mai?'

Yugi didn't reply.

'Hey Yugi, I asked you a question.'

Still the shorter boy didn't answer.

'Hey Yugi, are you in there? Yugi?' The feeling of dread in his stomach was starting to grow. 'Yugi, answer me buddy! What's going on here? Yugi!' Tristan jumped to his feet and began shaking his friend. 'Yugi snap out of it!'

The shaking didn't work. With his hands still firmly gripped on Yugi's shoulders, Tristan took a few deep breaths in and tried to figure out what to do next. Within seconds a crystal clear thought ran through his head; if Yugi wasn't responding then it was time to wake Joey. His eyes turned towards his other friend. It was the logical answer really, but the thought of it made Tristan's stomach knot further. Joey had already had a weird freaky trance like moment in the last twenty-four hours. What if Yugi was just the second victim of the same thing? What if it was coming after the rest of them next? What if one by one they all went through this trance thing and... and...?

Tristan wasn't totally sure where he was going with this. He knew Joey hadn't been acting like himself and that Yugi wanted to talk to them about something but had never gotten round to telling them what and... and... Too many thoughts were swirling around Tristan's head. So many he wasn't entirely sure where they were all coming from; he just knew he couldn't get rid of them unless he calmed himself down.

'Joey,' he took a deep breath in, 'I have to wake Joey.'

It was the most logical thing for him to do and Tristan knew it. He moved towards his sleeping friend and placed a hand on his right shoulder.

'Hey Joey,' he gave him a gentle shake, 'I need you to wake up; something's wrong with Yugi.'

Joey didn't stir.

'Look I know you like your sleep man, but Yugi needs your help.' Tristan gave him another shake, trying to calm the worrying feelings in his stomach as he did.

Still Joey didn't stir.

'WAKE UP!' He began violently shaking Joey. 'WAKE UP! WAKE UP RIGHT NOW! WAKE UP!'

Tristan knew he was getting hysterical, but it was almost impossible to pull himself back. With all the freaky things that had happened over the last few days, the last thing he needed was for two of his friends to zombie out on him like this. For half a breath he closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. If Yugi was zoned out and Joey was useless, the next logical step was... was...

'The others,' he forced himself to back out of the room, 'I've got to find the others.'


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

'Yoam you must listen to me,' the great royal wife stared at her son in despair, 'you're twenty-five now, a man, and, as much as I hate to say it, your father might not be long for this world. You must settle down! You can't keep gallivanting off with, heaven only knows who, and expecting it to be all right. It's not, at least not anymore.' She took a deep breath. 'I want you to meet Toya; she's the daughter of a rich nobleman. They say she's a charming and beautiful young lady. From what I've seen of her, I believe she will make the perfect wife for you.'

'Why do I get the impression I'm not going to have a choice in the matter?'

'I'm sorry my son, but we can't wait much longer. You are the sole heir to your father's throne and we must ensure that our line continues.' She softened her tone thoughtfully. 'She is a beautiful young woman and she will make you a worthy wife. I am sure you will learn to love her in time.'

'And if I don't?'

'You're not Tao; you don't have the luxury of waiting to fall in love. Give her a chance; you haven't even met her yet.'

'But what if I see her and know that I don't want to marry her? You can't force me if I really don't want to.'

'I can't, but your father can.'

'You would really make me marry someone just to ensure our line continues!' Yoam shook his head in despair. 'That doesn't seem fair; don't I have the same right as everyone else to marry the person I love? Tao...'

'This isn't about your... cousin, this is about you. And we can't wait for you to fall in love, not anymore!' The level of anger in her voice was scary, but somehow she managed to pull it back. 'My son, you love your country, don't you?'

'Of course I do.'

'Then marry Toya for the love of your country. Please my son; this is only a small favour I ask of you.'

'I'll think about it.' Yoam glared at her, before storming out of the room.

* * *

Yoam was still reeling from his fight with his mother, when Lillyannu found him. He was sat in the shade of a tree by a small oasis halfway between Memphis and Lun. Without waiting for an invitation Lillyannu took a seat next to him and placed the strangest looking flower Yoam had ever seen on his lap.

'It's called a Simüte Kanikanin and it only grows in the shade of the Northern Palace on Silkoniousmacarmakay.' Her voice was soft and wistful. 'Bet Simüte never told you he was named for a flower, did he?' She smirked. 'The name is made up of the first two Silete words; Simüte, meaning new era and Kanikanin, meaning new life. Of course the words do have some roots in Odete, that's the Odraian language, but what can you expect.' She paused thoughtfully for a moment. 'The Lutoni's have slowly been losing their spirit and I think Simüte's mother was scared he would turn out like his father. New era, can you think of any better a name for him?' There was a momentary pause during which she gave a heavy sigh. 'I wanted to get you a lily.'

'Huh?'

'I wanted to get you a lily. But not just any lily. I wanted to get one with a flower as soft as satin and as pure a white as you can imagine. It would have had a steam so green you would think you were looking at something holy and the scent... But I couldn't find a lily, let alone one so perfect. Then I noticed the Simüte Kanikanin were in full bloom, but it's not the same.' She sighed again. 'Yoam I am to be married tonight.'

'What! To who?'

'His name's Kindred Tracker, another childhood friend of mine, someone who I love, but... not a quarter as much as I love Simüte and that pales in comparison to my love for you. If I were queen I would put it before my council to change the law so that you and I might marry. But I am not queen and who knows how long it will be before I am. But I do know that I am twenty-five and nearly past my prime; if I don't marry soon I'll never have any children. That's not aloud.'

'But it doesn't seem fair!'

'Nothing ever is.'

'I thought my mother trying to get me to marry was bad enough. You know she's arranged for me to meet my future wife for the first time tonight. It doesn't matter if I love the woman or not so long as I marry her.'

'That's wrong. At least I had some choice in the matter, even if it was restricted. I may not love my mate as I should, but I do have great affection for him. No one should be forced to marry.'

'It doesn't sound to me like you had much of a choice. In fact you sound a lot more forced upon than I do.'

'That may be true, but what can I do. My hands are tied; I can't marry the man I love and I can't marry my best friend.'

'Then don't marry.' Yoam found himself compelled to grab hold of her shoulders. 'Don't marry.'

'I can't do that.' Her face fell in despair 'I have a duty to my people and you have a duty to yours.'

'So you would betray your own heart for your people.'

'I must!'

'If that's the way you feel then... then before you make up your mind there's something I want to tell you. Something I have to tell you.'

With his heart pounding hard in his chest, Yoam pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss. It was the kind of kiss which could have lasted for an eternity and never be long enough. But even as they parted they just stared at each other as though they knew this was the end.

'I'm sorry Yoam,' Lillyannu lowered her gaze, 'but my mind hasn't changed.'


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Even from a distance Joey could tell Mai was in trouble. All the sand had disappeared and all that was left of Marik's twisted punishment was a lifeless looking Mai sat in the bottom half of a large hourglass. Without hesitation Joey closed the gap between him and the hourglass. He could feel his heart beating hard in his chest as he stared down at what was left of Mai's mind.

'Mai! He began to pound his fist against the glass, trying to get it to break.

Mai stared up at him without recognition, her eyes glazed over with a misty cloud.

'Mai! Mai! It's me Joey, can you hear me? I'm going to get you out, okay? Just hold on.'

'She can't hear you.' Catilin's voice sounded almost curious as though she wasn't sure how she knew what was going on.

'But she looked up at me.' Joey shot a glance back towards her.

'No,' Catilin shook her head, 'she looked up because she heard a noise. You're nothing more than a noise to her. No body... no voice... just a noise. Her mind doesn't have the strength for anything else.'

'But what can I do to help her?'

'I can't tell you.' Her voice was almost too soft for the weight of the words she'd just spoken.

'You can't tell me?' Joey gritted his teeth. 'Then what was the point of bringing me here?'

'I... I don't know. I... I can't tell you.'

'Great, that's just great.' He could feel himself getting really angry now. 'Well I guess it's in keeping with how you've been acting so far. I mean, let's face it, half the time I'm talking to you its like you're not even there and then when you do have the decency to respond to me it's to say nothing you've told me so far matters. Or that you can't explain. Or that you don't know. So what do you know Catilin? What can you tell me? What does matter?'

'I...' She shook her head. 'I... I can't... I... I don't... This... this is too hard.' Catilin gripped the side of her head. 'Stop shouting at me, that doesn't help. Please... please stop shouting at me. I want to help you.'

'Then tell me how to help Mai.'

'I can't. I can't. You... You've got to learn it for yourself. I can't tell you anything. That's the way it works. Anything else would be breaking the rules and I can't break the rules, I can't. I can't. I'll be in trouble. And... and I... I don't understand... please... I don't understand. I want to help you.'

'Then help me. Tell me how to get Mai back. Please.'

'I... I can't Veronie... you... you have to learn it for yourself.'

'What did you just say?' Joey frowned at her, his anger momentarily forgotten.

'I... I said you... you have to learn it for yourself.'

'You said something else too. You called me something.'

'I called you Joey. Your... your name. You are Joey Wheeler, aren't you? You told me you were Joey Wheeler.'

'My name is Joey Wheeler, but that's not what you called me just now,' he took hold of her shoulders and forced her to meet his gaze. 'You called me Veronie, I heard you say it. Why did you call me that?'

'I... I didn't. I didn't, you misheard me.'

'No I didn't, you called me Veronie. I want to know why.'

'I... It... it was a mistake... I... I didn't...' Catilin's eyes darted from side to side in confusion.

'Stay with me Catilin,' he gave her a hard shake. 'I need you to stay with me.'

'Ow, you're hurting me.'

'No, I'm just trying to shake some sense into you. I need to know why you called me Veronie.'

'This isn't helping. This isn't how to help Mai.' Her gaze went towards the hourglass. 'We have to help Mai. That's why we're here. That's why I brought you here. You're hurting me. Stop hurting me.'

'Stop changing the subject; I need to know who Veronie is.'

'Why? Why do you need to know?'

'Because I need to,' in desperation Joey's grip on Catilin tightened. 'I don't know why, but I need to know. I need to know who Veronie is, Catilin? You have to tell me.'

'He's no one.' Her eyes remained focused on the hourglass.

'I don't believe you.'

'He's no one yet.' Catilin's gaze flicked to meet with his.

'What's that suppose to mean?' Joey could feel his heart pumping hard in his chest as blood started to rush through his ears.

'I can't tell you. I can't. It's against the rules.'

'What rules? Cat, please, I need you to give me a straight answer.'

'You shortened my name.' Her face filled with an odd look.

'So? I need you to tell me...'

'You know who Veronie is.' Catilin's gaze began to flicker from side to side again.

'No I don't.'

'Yes you do.' She nodded slowly. 'You know who he is.'

'I don't...' Joey gritted his teeth again. 'Stop playing games with me Cat, tell me who Veronie is.'

'You already know.' Her gaze fixed on him. 'You already know.'

'I... If I know then you can tell me.'

'No, it doesn't work like that. You've got to say it yourself.'

'Why?'

'Because you must.' She grabbed hold of his arms; her face taking on an expression of certainty it hadn't had since she'd joined him in the wasteland.

'But I don't know who Veronie Lutoni is.'

'I never said he was a Lutoni.'

At her words Joey felt his heart lurch. His mouth went dry and his grip on Catilin loosened.

'You didn't?' The words felt almost stale in his mouth.

'No.'

'But... he is?'

'Yes.'

'How...' Joey swallowed hard. 'How did I know that?'

'Because you know who he is, Joey. You know who he is.' Catilin gave a joyful sounding laugh. 'If you know who he is then you'll know how to help Mai and you'll know how to help me. I can't tell you anything, but if you know it then I don't have to.'

'But…'

'The confusions all around me. It's around you too, but I remember why I'm here now. This isn't how I thought things would go, but... This is how things are,' now it was her turn to tightened her grip. 'This is how things are. I know it's confusing, but once you understand, it'll be all right. I won't be on my own anymore. I'll have someone who understands; someone to talk to. But until you know, I can't tell you anything.'

'Why? Why can't you tell me anything?'

'It's against the rules. I can't make you wake up.'

'Wake up from what?'

'You know. You know. I know you know.'

'My head hurts,' Joey pulled away from her. 'I'm so confused.'

'It's the confusion. My confusion. It's breaking into you because there's nothing else right now. It can't be helped. Trust whatever your gut is telling you. Only you know what to do. Only you can find a way out of the confusion. Only you.'

Joey's gaze returned to Mai, focusing hard on the hourglass that trapped her. He moved back towards it and placed his right hand on the glass level with Mai's head.

'Mai, I need you to listen to me. I need you to concentrate on the sound of my voice. You can hear it, I know you can.'

He held his breath and listened to the silence.

'Mai, please, concentrate. I am more than just a noise to you. You have to listen to me. You have to hear me. Mai, I need you to hear me.'

'J-Joey...?' Her eyes stared sightlessly in his direction.

'Yes Mai, it's me and I'm going to get you out of there.'

'J-Joey...?' The clouds over her eyes began to lift.

'That's right Mai, it's me. I'm right here. I'm right here for you.'

'J-Joey... Joey I can hear you. Where... where am I?'

'You're in the shadow realm; you were trapped here by Marik. But I'm going to get you out, just keep talking to me.'

'Joey... Joey I... I remember. It... It's so cold here... so dark.'

'I know Mai, I know. But I promise... I promise I'll get you out.'


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

'So what do you think I should do?' Serenity glanced towards Téa as the pair of them wondered aimlessly around the airship.

'Well you've got to tell them.'

'I don't know if I can. I mean I don't want to hurt them.'

'You'll hurt them more if you don't tell them.'

'Oh Téa,' she sighed, 'I just don't know. They're both nice guys and...'

Before Serenity could finish what she was saying, Tristan appeared almost out of nowhere and skidded to a stop. His face filled with a momentary look of relief as he tried to catch his breath.

'I've been looking all over for you.' He painted. 'I need your help. There's something wrong with Joey and Yugi.'

'Oh no.' Serenity gasped in horror.

'Come on, there's no time to waste, let's go!'

Without waiting for a reply, Tristan took off again. Téa and Serenity exchanged a look for a moment, before taking off after him. It didn't take them long to reach Mai's room and Serenity's heart sunk more than a little to see her brother unconscious on one of the chairs. With a deep sense of dread she made her way towards him.

'Joey,' she gently shook his shoulder, 'Joey wake up. Please wake up.'

He didn't stir and the dread in Serenity's stomach rolled into fear.

'I can't get any response out of either of them.' Tristan shook his head. 'It's like their minds just aren't there.'

'But what happened Tristan, why are they like this?'

'I wish I knew,' his voice trembled a little around the edges. 'But don't worry Serenity, I promise I'll find a way to help your brother.'

'Joey…'

'I promise... I promise you, I will find a way to help him.'

'You can't help him,' an unfamiliar voice sounded from behind her, 'what makes you think you can?'

Serenity's heart skipped a beat as her eyes turned towards the doorway. She felt as though her mouth was turning to cotton wool when she spotted the black haired girl stood watching them. What if she was another madman, like Marik? What if she was worse?

'What do you mean we can't help him?' Tristan's angry voice broke the tense silence. 'Who are you anyway?'

'The name's Kimotay Chaosa,' she calmly folded her arms, 'and what does it matter why you can't, all you need to know is that you can't.'

'Do you know how to help him?' Serenity took a step towards her.

'I might pifta bit, but I'm not about to tell you.'

'Why not? Please, he's my brother...'

'Cry all you want bit, its not going to change the facts.'

'You know you're not being very fair Kim,' a tall, white haired, blue eyed boy appeared behind her, 'you could be a little more compassionate. Where's your Silkoneon spirit?'

'As dead as my ancestor.'

'And just who do you think you are?' Tristan glared at the new comer.

'My name is Timotee Odray.' His voice was calm and almost sweet. 'I apologise for my companion, she shouldn't be here and nor should I really. But... we had this feeling something interesting was going on and our instincts told us to investigate.'

'What do you mean?' Téa frowned.

'It's none of you business.' Kimotay half turned away from them. 'And you Tim are saying too much.'

'They're just concerned about their friend, there's no need to be so harsh.' Timotee pulled a face.

'Why not? They're only Standings after all. And after everything their kind has done to ours why should I care about them.'

'Because the same blood flows through their veins as flows through ours.'

'Now maybe, but when my Khine was alive it was a very different story.'

'I'll have to agree with you there,' Timotee sighed and tilted his head with thought. 'We were a purer people back then; gentle spirits, fragile souls. The Gods of the Tenth Order looked down upon us with joy in their hearts. Now we're all bad tempered mongrels.'

'I take insult to that,' Kimotay glared at him, 'and if I am a bad tempered mongrel then it's _her_ fault.'

'She did what she had to do. If it weren't for the Great Queen, our people would have been enslaved, miserable and maybe even extinct. I'd sooner be a mongrel than not alive at all.'

'The price tag feels a little too high for my liking.'

'The price of freedom always is.'

'Perhaps,' Kimotay's gaze scanned the room, before her gaze landed on Joey. 'But perhaps there is a chance for our breed and the mother kind to be great again. The Great Queen might have erased our history, but _his_ Khine could bring us back.'

'We've waited a long time to meet him,' Timotee nodded slowly. 'Maybe even too long. But just think, after all this time, in a few hours from now we could be a people again.'


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

'Don't worry Mai, its okay now, I've got you.'

It had been a long, hard struggle, but Joey had managed to free her from her prison. His body was filled with a mixture of joy and exhaustion. His whole being trembled with the force of it and it was all he could do to hold her in his arms and refuse to let go.

'Joey, I was so scared.' Mai's voice was barely a whispered, but it was stronger and a lot more certain than it had been just a short while ago.

'You don't need to be scared anymore. I promise, you're safe now.'

'Yes, she is safe; so it's time to leave this place.' Catilin placed a hand on his shoulder.

'Don't I have to help you first?' Joey's eyes went up to meet hers.

For the first time since they'd arrived in the wasteland there was a certain and self-assured look in Catilin's eyes. She took a calm breath in and smiled at him.

'But you have, you have,' she laughed, 'you've already helped me Joey.'

'But... I thought...'

'When you helped Mai, you helped me. You helped me find myself again.'

'I'm not sure I understand.' Joey shook his head in confusion. 'All that stuff I saw before...'

'I'm sorry I put you through all that, but... It's hard to explain. I was being affected by Mai's confusion. Somewhere in my head I'd convinced myself all that stuff would help you somehow and maybe it did, but... It's probably better you forget it.'

'I'm not sure if I can,' some instinct made Joey's grip on Mai tighten. 'I'm not sure if I want to.'

For a few moments Catilin was silent, then she knelt down in front of him and forced him to meet her gaze. Her eyes were misted with tears she was desperately trying to blink back and Joey knew whatever it was she was about to say next was going to be difficult on both of them.

'The confusion... this... this is not the first time I've been through it and... and it won't be the last either. Because of what I am... because of what I'm sensitive to... I'm better off here... Even though it's lonely here,' her lower lip trembled. 'I get so... so lonely. But I... I mean I... It's just... I'm not...' She lowered her gaze.

'I can come visit you, if you like,' Joey brushed the hair back from her face, 'or you could come visit me if that's easier for you. You don't have to be on your own all the time if you don't want to be. You helped me save Mai, the very least I owe you is my friendship.'

'Really?' The wide-eyed look she gave him reminded Joey of a small child.

'Yes really, I mean it Cat, we're friends now.'

'Always?'

'Always.'

'Do you promise?'

'Yes, I promise,' Joey couldn't help but laugh; she was so innocent.

'Thank you.' Catilin smiled at him.

There was another long moment of silence then a deep frown pulled its way across Catilin's face.

'I think we need to get back to the airship now,' she massaged her temples as her eyes scrunched together in pain, 'something's happening there and I think it's gonna be like a bad headache.'

* * *

Tristan found himself glaring at the two strangers in the room. How could they be so insensitive to the feelings of others? They knew what was wrong with Joey and yet they didn't have even the slightest amount of sympathy for his clearly heartbroken sister. Tristan tried telling them to get out and leave them alone, but the pair had refused point blank. It frustrated him at a time when he was already feeling so agitated and powerless; it was all he could do to keep his temper at bay.

'Hey look!' Serenity's voice brought Tristan's attention back to Mai's bed.

'Joey…?' Mai's eyes began to flicker open.

Almost as soon as she'd spoken his name, Joey jolted back to life. His eyes shot open and, taking Mai's hand, he leant affectionately over her.

'You're awake...' Joey's voice was so soft Tristan couldn't be sure if he'd really spoken.

Not that he really got a chance to find out. No sooner were Mai's eyes open then another unknown girl appeared in the room. The newcomer's eyes turned straight towards Timotee and Kimotay and a less than happy look pasted itself to her face.

'How did I know this was going to be a bad headache?' The newcomer's face filled with a childish pout. 'What do you two think you are doing here?'

'Preparing for the reawakening of our people.' Kimotay folded her arms.

'Go home, it's not happening. It's never, ever happening. Not in our lifetime.'

'Give me one good reason why not.'

'I can give you half a dozen if you like.' The newcomer tilted her head to one side. 'For a start look around you, half the people here are duellists. And it's not Happy Families they play, you know? If everyone wakes up now it'll be trouble.'

'But we may never be Khined again.' Kimotay remained firm.

'Maybe we will be, maybe we won't be.' The newcomer began twiddling some of her hair around her fingers. 'We don't know for sure what will happen Kimmy, no one knows for sure. But so long as there could be trouble, shouldn't we try and avoid it. Trouble is bad and I'm not sure how well I'll cope if things get bad. I'm not sure how well any of us will cope. I've spent a long time thinking about what's best; I can think about things myself you know. I can make important decisions and I made an important decision; there's too much risk right now. Too much which could go wrong. I can't take the chance.'

'I think you might be overestimating the danger a little,' Timotee gave a nervous cough, 'it's not like the men who made _that_ game so dangerous for us even exist anymore. In fact I doubt there is anyone alive with the kind of power it takes to turn the game against us. And even if there was no one really knows about the game's true origins. So tell me where the danger is?'

'How many of our own kind do you think are duellists?'She suddenly dropped all her childish mannerisms and became strangely serious. 'I mean, right now it's not like any of them know the truth behind the game either. If our people are reawakened, then so is the knowledge. All it takes is for one of them to slip up and all our lives will be in danger again. I can't handle that. I'm not sure any of us can. We are better off forgotten.'

'And what about the Lutoni, Catilin? Do you think he would agree with you or with us on this one?' Kimotay 's face filled with a challenging expression.

'Do you really remember so little of our people's history Kim?' The girl now identified as Catilin shook her head. 'The Lutoni's always support the Ashmar house. Just like the Odrays and Chaosas always support each other. It's what makes us balance. Strong bonds of friendship which make sure someone always has our backs. And besides, what makes you so sure the Lutoni has been Khined? We could just as easily be in the presence of Simüte's Khindel, ever think of that?'

'I...'

'You're not so sure which one it is now, are you Kimmy?' Catilin laughed. 'You thought you knew, but you don't. Bit hard to say when all you really remember about Simüte is the fact he was blond.'

Kimotay glared at Catilin, but said nothing. Catilin's face filled with a pleased look and she began twiddling some of her hair again. There was something about her which Tristan found almost too innocent, because the look shining in her eyes revealed a hidden depth of intelligence. It was obvious she knew more than she was letting on, but Tristan couldn't be sure if the childish manner in which she came across was deliberate or just how she was. Either way it made the feeling of dread swirling in his stomach turn several very rapid circles.

'At any point is one of you going to tell the rest of us what the hell this is about?' Tristan gritted his teeth and broke the tense silence.

'Stay out of it man, it doesn't concern you.' Joey sounded almost too calm for the situation going on around them.

'And just what do you know about it?' He flicked a glance in his friend's direction.

'Enough to know you don't want to get involved,' Joey sighed and lowered his head slightly, before standing up and taking a position next to Catilin. 'But I do.'

'Joey sit down,' Catilin shook her head at him, 'this doesn't concern you.'

'You're wrong; it does concern me and I'm not letting you face this on your own Cat.' His eyes lifted to meet with Kimotay's. 'I know you're right and I want them to see it to.'

'Joey please sit down. Please. I don't want you to get involved with this. It's not your fight.'

'Yes it is Cat. It is and we both know it.'

'Please don't Joey.' The childish tones returned to Catilin's voice. 'Please don't make it your fight too. I don't want it to be.'

'But it is my fight Cat and I'm not going to let you do this on your own.'

'Joey have you lost your mind?' Tristan stared at his friend as he tried to work out just what level of crazy this situation had reached.

'No,' he shook his head, 'I've not lost my mind; I've finally found it.' A confident smirk spread across his face as his gaze remained focused on Kimotay. 'You wanted a Lutoni; you've got a Lutoni.'


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Yoam gave a heavy sigh and stared out of his bedroom window; it was the evening before his twenty-sixth birthday and he was miserable. All he wanted to do was run off into the desert and celebrate with his friends, but his wife had other ideas. She wanted him to spend the night rubbing shoulders with some of the richest families in Egypt; why he had ever consented to marry her was beyond him. With a heavy sigh he made his way back into the room and flopped down onto his bed.

'For someone about to become a year older you might want to show some more enthusiasm.' A voice sounded from his window.

'Simüte,' he sat up and stared at his friend, 'what on earth are you doing here?'

'I have a message from Lilly.' A huge grin spread across his face. 'She wants us to meet her by the oasis halfway between here and Lun.'

'When?'

'Now, I guess.'

'But I can't, my wife would kill me; I meant to be helping Toya arrange my birthday celebrations.'

'Do you want to?'

'Not really.' Yoam lowered his gaze.

'Then slake off.'

'What?'

'Have you learnt nothing from me?' Simüte gave a sly sounding laugh. 'Slake off, escape the boredom and spend time with some of your dear old friends. You know, the ones you actually like.'

Yoam couldn't admit he wasn't tempted, but there was just one problem.

'They'll see me going.' He shook his head.

'Not if you go out the same way I came in.' Simüte's eyes sparkled with the same kind of mischief that had been there when they were youths.

'You mean out the window?' Yoam half frowned.

'You bet!'

The temptation was almost too much for Yoam to bear. He did his best to pretend he was mulling the idea over, but it was too difficult for him to keep a straight face when he did. The answer was obvious and there was no point claiming otherwise.

'Alright you're on.'

With an almost devilish air the pair made their escape via the window and raced each other to Lillyannu's meeting place. When they arrived they were both panting hard. She, on the other hand, was serenely sat under the shade of a small tree. The setting sun turned the sky behind her a deep orange and the evening breeze carried with it the sweet perfumed fragrance of flowers. As Yoam gasped for breath, he couldn't help but think of how her beauty set off the landscape.

'Are you sure your husband won't mind you meeting us like this?' Yoam did his best to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

'My husband knows to mind his own business. Besides,' she got up and placing a hand on the rather obtrusive bump on her stomach, 'fresh air's good for a woman in my condition.'

'Oh right, I'd forgotten about that.' Yoam looked away in disgust.

'I have to secure an heir to the Ashmar line Yoam. Just as you must secure an heir to your dynasty; it's the way the world works.'

'Don't remind me.'

'I didn't come here to fight with you,' Lillyannu gave a heavy sigh and massaged her temples, 'I thought we were past all that.'

'We are. I'm sorry. So why did you call me here?'

'Yoam, my father is dying.'

'What?'

'The doctors, they give him less than a week.' She paused for a moment as her eyes glistened with the tears of fear. 'I shall be queen, head of the Ashmar line, in less than a week. Oh Yoam, I'm so scared, I'm not ready for this.'

'Oh Lilly...' Simüte took a step towards her, then hesitated.

'It's okay Simüte; I have made my peace with it. And it's not why I brought you here.' Lillyannu took a deep breath in and appeared to gather her thoughts. 'Simüte, my dear sweet friend, when my father dies you'll be head of your family and I know your father will be resentful of that, but I also know you are not meant to be caged in. My good friend, my dear friend, my sweet and loyal friend, you shan't ever be caged. You need never attend a council meeting or political function if you don't wish to be there. You shall be a wonderer, like many of your ancestors were. You shall be my line to my people, just as Makay was Sil's line to his. With all the power that is vested in me, Simüte, I promise you, you shall be free.'

'Lilly,' he stared at her, his eyes glistening with tears, 'thank you.'

'Oh Simüte, how could it be any other way?' She took another calming breath in and her attention turned to Yoam. 'My dear sweet prince of Egypt, my equal, my friend, my heart and my soul, the love of my life; how fate is a devil with its tricks,' she took a lily shaped pendant off from around her neck. 'My love I want you to have this.'

'But why?' Yoam stared at her in disbelief.

'As a reminder of me; I may never get the chance to see you like this again. Though I'll try, I swear on my life I'll try.' Tears reformed in the corners of her eyes. 'But this way they'll always be a part of me with you and, when you ascend to your throne, we shall rule together in spirit. Two nations united in love.'

'Only we won't be, not really.' Yoam shook his head.

'But in spirit we will. In spirit forever and the day that forever ends. Yoam I do love you, you know that.'

'I know. I know you love me. But what good does it do either of us now?'

'Fate is a cruel a devil as ever was...'

'Or ever shall be.' Simüte finished, his voice muted with the weight of the words.

For a long time the three friends stood staring glumly at each other. They knew without a doubt their lives were about to change forever. Their care free days and rule free nights would become nothing more than a distant memory; a memory to be replaced by the weight of the world which was to rest upon their shoulders. Only time would tell how this weight would change them and not one of them could stop the hands of time.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

'You wanted a Lutoni; you've got a Lutoni.' With a cool nerve, Joey held Kimotay's gaze.

'Joey what are you saying?' Tristan's voice cracked with confusion.

'Exactly what it sounds like I'm saying.'

'But…'

'Don't say a thing Tristan,' he briefly glanced back at his friend, 'I've already told you this doesn't concern you.'

'But…!'

'No buts Tristan, now sit down and for god's sake keep out of this.'

'Why Joey,' Catilin shook her head, 'I could have handled this on my own. Why didn't you keep quiet?'

'Because now I know why you felt the need to show me all that stuff before. I know what I have to do now.'

'And just what is that?' Kimotay smirked.

'You're a confident woman,' he laughed, 'but I dare say I shall disappoint you.'

For half a second he found himself hesitating. The words which had come out of his mouth didn't quite sound like his own; it was as if someone or something else were putting his thoughts into its own language.

'It is you,' Catilin's face filled with a look of joy. 'It really is you. Don't be afraid of your old nature, let it through.'

He nodded and turned his attention back to Kimotay.

'You're a confident woman,' he repeated, 'but I dare say I shall disappoint you. I support my queen with all my heart. If she says we're not ready for this, then we're not ready for this. If she says this isn't our time, then this isn't our time. My loyalty and support has and will always belong to the Ashmars. And I will not fear going up against either of you if I have to. Because of the order of things... The true order of things…?'

A jolt of fear rocketed through Joey's stomach and he found himself sitting down in confusion. Something important was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't quite work out what it was.

'Looks as if your Lutoni's confidence is wavering.' Kimotay rolled her eyes. 'He's so close to his awakening he's probably just saying things out of blind loyalty.'

'By my love, my life.' Joey felt the words coming out of his mouth as though they were being transported across time. 'My good friend, my dear friend, my sweet and loyal friend; I shall not cage you.'

'What's he twittering on about?' Kimotay narrowed her gaze on him.

'The order of things,' Catilin gave a slight giggle, 'he's remembering the order of things.'

'The order of things.' Joey nodded as his gaze went up to meet hers. 'The true order of things.'

'What the hell's going on?' Tristan shot yet another confused and frustrated look in Joey's direction. 'Joey...'

'It's okay Tristan, this won't take much longer.' Joey got back to his feet. 'The awakening shall not happen.' His gaze met with Kimotay's again. 'I support Cat's decision and I hold more weight than either of you.'

'You're a son of the third house; we are children of the joint second houses,' Timotee frowned, 'how could you possibly hold more weight than us?'

'Because it is the order of things. The true order of things.'

'The Lutoni's always held more weight than the Chaosas or the Odrays, only they were never interested in power.' Catilin's face filled with a proud smile. 'They were the people's leader, ruler of the free. They are the spirit of our people and the life of our homeland. I've known it like all Ashmars have known it. The Lutonis are special, different and always, always true to themselves. It is one of the reasons we always fondly think of them and the reason why they are the true second house.'

'The Odrays and Chaosas have always been considered the second houses because my ancestors allowed them to be.' Joey took a deep breath in and just let the words roll out of his mouth. 'But all Silkoneons know the true order and I shall not be afraid to take my rightful place if I need to. Do not force this issue; if our queen says it's not time for our people to be reawakened, then it's not time. Have faith in her decision and when the time is right your families shall keep their false titles of second houses.'

'You have no right to threaten us with that.' Kimotay's eyes glinted with anger. 'We have all been awakened now; there may never be an opportunity like this again. How can you waste it?'

'Because as much as every one of these new instincts in me hates to say it, she's right.' Joey lowered his head. 'I've seen her; she's not fit to rule...'

'So we shoulder the burden, it's not like it hasn't been done before.'

'Maybe, but we owe our people more than that. If our kind returns now we will be a nation of children, just like we were in the beginning. But in the beginning it worked because Sil was an amazingly strong leader and the other three complimented his leadership. We owe our people that same kind of strength, but as she is she's not capable of it. Let this opportunity pass and pray with everything in you there'll be another.'

'There has to be,' Catilin's gaze also met with Kimotay's, 'we were always early anyway. How can one of the six be awakened if the other five are not? We came into this Disconnection together, we should leave it together.'

For a tense couple of minutes there was silence. Then Kimotay and Timotee exchanged disgruntled looks. These looks were accompanied by eye rolling and shakes of the head as the both appeared to communicate through body language alone with each other. Finally their expressions relented and both disappeared from sight. An impulsive laugh burst out of Joey's mouth as he exchanged grins with Catilin.

'I can't believe I pulled that off.'

'I'm not sure I can either,' she beamed at him, 'thank you.'

'Would someone please tell me what the hell just happened?' Tristan glared at Joey. 'Because I'm just about running out of patience here.'

'Sorry man, I'm not sure if I can tell you.' Joey's whole being buzzed with an almost mischievous excitement.

'You can tell them if you want to Joey,' Catilin giggled. 'I mean, they're your friends and you should share things with your friends. But they don't need to know everything.'

'So it's my choice whether or not I tell them anything at all then?'

'Yeah.'

'And what if I choose not to?'

'But you will tell them.'

'What makes you so sure?'

'Because I know you want to mai catana.'

'Huh?'

'Sorry, that was Etean; I'd forgotten you didn't know it.'

'Yeah but I'll learn, right? I mean, it is supposed to be my native tongue.'

'And just who do you expect to teach you exactly?'

'Err…'

'And to think I was pinning for a brain in that head, in that body which you so clearly left intelligence for dead.' She paused for a moment, frowned and then laughed. 'Okay even I don't know what that means.'


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

'And to think I was pinning for a brain in that head, in that body which you so clearly left intelligence for dead!' Yoam heard Lillyannu shouting as he approached her chamber. 'My husband you are a Tracker married to an Ashmar; I will not forgo our ancient laws so that you may take my child away from me!'

'Forgive me,' a shaky voice broke through the bitter air of tension, 'I forgot myself. But we have had only one child come into this world alive and, as I have no sibling to carry my name, I thought...'

'You thought? You thought!' Her voice rose into an angry scream. 'I have no siblings to carry on my name either and I am an Ashmar! My name has more weight than yours ever will. You shall _not_ take my only child away from me!'

'Please calm down my dear, you're upset. Forgive me; I don't know what I was thinking.'

'You were thinking of yourself and your line. Selfish man, what it must be like to have so few cares in the world when I carry the weight of my people on my shoulders.'

'I'm sorry, please calm down.'

'Oh I'll calm down alright, but only to prevent any harm to the child I now carry.'

'You never said.'

'I didn't want to take the chance, I've lost too many too early to even get my hopes up this soon.' Lillyannu's voice trembled. 'I kept it from you because I hate the look of disappointment in your face every time I... But now I see your eyes are set on a higher pride, so this child must survive for you. You will have your name, let me keep mine.'

Yoam flinched at the coldness of her words. It had been five years since she had taken the throne, during that time she'd lost more children than Yoam could bear to count. It affected her mood on the deepest level and she had little patience left for most people. Her husband was often on her bad side, seemingly unable to do or say anything right. As Yoam continued to listen to their fighting a tapping on his arm made him jump. His eyes turned towards the little boy who was now stood next to him.

'Mister you're not to eves in on them.' The little boy's eyes were wide with innocence. 'Mama don't shout often, only when dada thinks himself too proud. He shouldn't do that. Mama got bigger things on her mind.'

'You seem awfully calm for someone whose parents are fighting.'

'Ashmar's must always be calm and dignified; that's why I don't want dada to make me a Tracker.'

Just as he was said this, the boy's father left his wife's room with a cold look of terror on his face. Without waiting to see if she would call him back in he hurried away to his own chamber. A few moments later, with a worried look on her face, Lillyannu emerged.

'Oh,' she gave a heavy sigh, 'I shouldn't have got so mad. I should go apologise.'

'Can it wait?'

'Yoam, what are you doing here?' She blinked at him in surprise.

'Well I was here to see you, but if this is a bad time, I could come back later.'

'No, no now is fine.' Her face filled with a warm, but apologetic smile. 'I'm expecting again so my moods are all over the place. He didn't know, if he did he probably wouldn't have asked what he did. It was unfair of him anyway and I won't change the law. Not for him. By law my son is an Ashmar, he knows that. But I guess sometimes he forgets; he never got use to the fact he married an Ashmar, so he's sometimes inclined to treat me as he would if I were anyone but. Still I shouldn't have got so angry; he's just trying to protect his name.'

'Mama will I finally have a little brother.' Her son ran over to her and she scooped him up into her arms.

'Or sister my son, if the Gods are willing that is.'

'But mama I'm here. The Gods gave you me, so they will give me a little brother.'

'Or sister. Please my son do not get ahead of yourself; they have taken children from me before. You should be the eldest with at least three younger siblings. But fate is a cruel a devil there ever was.'

'Or ever shall be,' Yoam finished the familiar sentiment. 'Lilly, I have something to tell you.'

'Can it wait? It is late now and I must see to my son.'

'I'll help you.'

'Alright.' Lillyannu nodded as she made her way towards her son's chamber. 'How is your wife by the way?'

'Expecting my third child.'

'How nice for you.'

'Don't say that Lilly, it makes me feel so guilty.' Yoam lowered his gaze. 'It doesn't seem fair that my wife has had such luck in child birth when you've had such misfortune.'

'Your wife loves you Yoam; it is her heart's content to provide you with heirs. My heart is at sorrow so the Gods won't let me provide an heir for my husband.'

'Why not?'

'Because they do not believe I followed my heart in marrying him. And they are right.'

'They let you have your son.'

'Only because the Ashmar line needs an heir.'

'And your husband doesn't?'

'No he does. That's what makes me so miserable.' Lillyannu's expression saddened. 'That's why we fight.'

'Mama wants dada to be happy.' The little boy in her arms scowled. 'But I don't want to be a Tracker. Not ever.'

'And you're not my son. You're an Ashmar, dada just gets silly sometimes.'

'I like being an Ashmar, mama. I always want to be an Ashmar.'

'Of course you do Nicolie, you wouldn't be my son else. And I promise you, no matter what, you'll always be an Ashmar.'

Nicolie snuggled closer into his mother's arms and began to suck his thumb.

'You care deeply for your boy,' Yoam studied her for a moment, 'I am not yet Pharaoh, but I have little time to spend with my children.'

'Your father may live a long time yet, you should know your children before he dies; they'll be the greatest pleasure in your life.'

'My father is dying.'

'That sounds familiar. Didn't I say that not so long ago?'

'Five years to the day.'

'Is that meant to be a reminder of my words?' Lillyannu's gaze went to meet with his.

'No, my father is dying.'

'Then soon you shall be Pharaoh.'


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

The thirty-three year old Pharaoh sat calmly on his throne as he faced down his latest opponent. In a short space of time he had mastered the game which was both feared and awed by his people. To them he was the Great Pharaoh Yoam, master of the shadow games. His reputation outshone even that of his father thanks to the seven items of Reama Technology his cousin had crafted as a coronation present for him. At first Yoam had felt the gifts too much, but a troubling dark force which clouded the horizon of his kingdom made him more than grateful for their presence. The Millennium Items afforded Yoam a strong and powerful reputation, which was for now keeping those dark forces at bay.

Yoam focused his attention back on the game he was playing. His opponent had just revealed his latest tablet which contained Harpy Lady.

'Good move. But not good enough.' Yoam smiled as he revealed a tablet of his own containing the Dark Magician.

'I guess that means you've won.' His opponent's face was a mixture of respect and disappointment. 'Your reputation is well earned.'

'And so is yours,' Yoam nodded at him. 'You are a talented youngster and in a few more years you may be even better at this game than I am.'

'That will never happen my Pharaoh.'

'How can you be so sure?'

'Because as I improve, so will you, therefore I will never be able to reach your level.'

'I guess not.' Yoam laughed. 'Now child, if you don't mind, I have other matters I must attend to.'

'Yes sir, of course,' the boy bowed his head in respect. 'I'll leave right away.'

'Before you do, would you mind telling me your name?'

'Of course not sir. My name is Nefer Ishtar.'

Yoam took note of this before getting to his feet and leaving the chamber he was in. His head was filled with thoughts as he made his way down the long corridor towards the chamber his ministers were waiting for him in. He was so swallowed by these half vacant thought the sudden presence of a hand on his shoulder made him jump. A brief feeling of anger rose in him as he spun round to confront the person disrespectful enough to be so informal with him. The anger lasted as long as it took for him to turn, as the person in question was a nervous looking Simüte.

'What are you doing here?' Yoam frowned at him.

'I came to see you.' Simüte's voice was as edgy as his expression. 'I had no idea you were so good at _that_ game. I've never really seen anyone play it before. My people are not allowed to watch it take place, never mind play it.'

'Why not?'

'Because of the threat it poses to us.'

'Huh?'

'We don't know how or why, but we can be trapped in that game; forced to play it for the amusement of others.'

'Do you mean your people can become the monsters?'

'I guess that's how you'd put it.' Simüte shifted his gaze away. 'Did you know every day we lose more and more people to that game?'

'No, I wasn't aware.'

'It's true,' he gave a heavy sigh, 'a lot of families who started off with four or five kids now only have one, maybe two. If we're not careful we could lose whole house. The balance of our world would be destroyed. I'm not sure what we would do if that were to happen.'

'Do you personally know anyone who's been taken by the game?' Yoam hated asking, but felt almost compelled to.

'Lillyannu had brothers once and I knew them.'

'No!' He gasped. 'You're telling me...?'

'Yes, I'm telling you.' Simüte gave a heavy sigh. 'It was why she was so angry with you the first time you met; because of what you represent.'

'Now I know I guess I don't blame her.'

'I don't think anyone could.' Simüte paused for a moment. 'The puzzle you wear around your neck, its Reama Technology isn't it?'

'Yes, it was one of seven pieces my cousin created for me.'

'I remember you telling me about it.' An almost bitter look spread across Simüte's face. 'Does it help you to play the game? Does it help you to create monsters?'

'I...'

'It's okay Yoam; I'm not blaming you for anything. But Lillyannu thought she lost her son the other day and we can't afford to take any more chances. She had a difficult birth with Talma; she's unlikely to have any more children, she can't afford to lose Nicolie.'

'I know.'

There were a few moments of silence. Yoam got the feeling Simüte wanted to tell him something important, but was struggling to find the words to do so. It wasn't like his friend to be so unforthcoming. In all the years he'd known Simüte explaining himself and the world around him was the one thing he'd always been good at. Now it just felt like he was ranting for the sake of avoiding whatever it was that was really on his mind.

'She...' Simüte hesitated again. 'She never told me what her moment of clarity was.'

'Her what?' Yoam frowned.

'Her moment of clarity,' Simüte repeated. 'You know, after the pain of receiving the Lunus Crystella settles, all Ashmars have a moment of clarity. I'm sure I explained that to you at the time.'

'Yes I think you did.'

'Well Lilly always said she'd tell me what her moment of clarity was, but she never has. I think it's been eating away at her.'

'Why?'

'I don't know but I dread to think. Somewhere in my head I keep thinking she's seen our people's demise. That she's terrified her legacy is going to be the destruction of our kind. Just the thought of it is eating me up inside, but I can't...' Simüte lifted his gaze to meet with Yoam's. 'You've got to talk to her Yoam; she'll tell you, I know she will.'

'When I'm I going to have the time?'

'I'll get her to come here.'

'When is she going to have the time?'

'Yoam!'

'I'm sorry it's just…'

'Look, I know it's difficult, but I… The lives of my kind could be at stake here. And... and I'm still single.' Simüte's eyes darted about in an almost searching manner as though they were trying to find some train of thought to latch onto. 'I'm still single and I need to produce heirs just like every other Silkoniousmacarmakayeon. It might surprise you Yoam, but I'm looking forward to the day when I can be a father. The futures a very important place to me. The most important place to me. But if Lilly's seen my peoples' destruction then... then I might as well end my life now.'

'Simüte you can't be serious!'

'Oh I can and I am.'

'Then it doesn't look like I have much of a choice.' Yoam let out an exasperated sigh. 'You'll have to arrange it though.'

'Why not have it right now?' Lillyannu suddenly appeared beside him. 'Thank you Simüte for being so worried about me, but I can handle this from here.'

'No way,' Simüte shook his head, 'I'm staying.'

'Simüte please.'

'Oh no, you can't shake me like that. I'd sooner be under a trunk hollow than live another second outside your knowledge.' Simüte held her gaze. 'You must tell me Lilly, it's killing me not to know.'

'Fine,' she sighed. 'Yoam do you have the time to spare us now?'

'I have a meeting with my ministers of state,' Yoam pressed his lips together in thought, 'but that shouldn't last more than an hour and I should be free to see you after that.'

'Okay,' Lillyannu nodded, 'then we'll wait.'


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

He'd left them waiting for him in one of the smallest and most private rooms of his Memphis palace. His meeting had taken a little longer than he would have hoped and his entrance made very little impression on either of his friends. Lillyannu was sat on the floor in a state of meditation, whereas Simüte was leaning against one of the walls staring out of a very narrow window. Yoam almost felt bad for breaking the spell they both so easily could be under, but he felt worse for making them have to wait.

'I'm sorry I'm late.' His voice startled both of them.

'That's alright,' Lillyannu yawned as she got to her feet, 'so long as you have the time for us now that's all that matters.'

'I can give you all the time you need.'

'Then I should begin,' she took a deep breath. 'In my moment of clarity I saw the Silkoniousmacarmakayeon name disappearing into the sands of time. I saw the both my kind and the Odraians hiding amongst the Standing, blending like one. The sand continued to fall and history became forgotten. Then I saw the Khined descendents of both my council and myself and I knew one day things would be restored to how they should be. My vision confused me a lot and for the longest time I did not know what it meant.'

'But you do now?'

'I'm not sure. The first instinct my vision gave me was to find you and beg you to help, but with what I did not know.' Lillyannu half turned away from him. 'I'd always believed my moment of clarity would give me all the answers, but I was only left with questions. Questions which will remain such until the time comes for them to be revealed.' She paused. 'Everyone's been at me to reveal the course of my people and to act upon my moment of clarity; so I think I must be the first Ashmar who hasn't known what my moment of clarity was guiding me to do. But I will do it, whatever it is, I shall complete my task. Because that is what Ashmars do.'

'But how?' Simüte started at her. 'How can you complete your task if you don't even know what it is?

'More questions, really? It'll take a stone rage and a ten pieced army to explain how, what, why.' Lillyannu massaged her temples. 'Oh I don't know anymore, my head feels full of a million questions but no answers. Never any answers. So no more questions Simüte please.'

'But…?'

'Please Simüte, no more; I don't think I could handle it.'

'Alright, no more.'

'You said you felt the urge to run to me for help.' Yoam tilted his head in thought. 'Whatever your future may be, I believe I must have a part in it. So I'm telling you now Lilly, when the time comes I will help you.'

'Thank you, I knew I could count on you.'

'What about me?' Simüte gave an amused half laugh. 'Don't I count for anything? I'll help you too and be a more useful ally than any you know.'

'Your loyalty Simüte goes without question,' Lillyannu smiled at him, 'I've known you too long and too well for it to be any other way.'

'I would still like to be asked.'

'I dare say and honoured to.'

'That's not fair.'

'What is?'

Whatever moment of amusement their banter might have caused died quickly. Yoam was left with an impending feeling in his stomach. A feeling telling him the great darkness wasn't just edging at his own kingdom. For the longest time the three friends stood in silence. Just as the unspoken tension began to peak, Yoam felt dry words push their way out of his even drier mouth.

'So where do we go from here?'


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Tristan would have given just about anything to spend time quizzing Joey about what had just happened, but before a single question could pass his lips Joey had spotted the condition Yugi was in and everyone's focus turned towards him. In the pit of Tristan's stomach he felt the shifting tide of something uncomfortable. It was the same digging in his soul which had led him into a near blind panic when he'd found Joey and Yugi completely out of it before. Some strong instinct was beating on his insides like a feeling of deep rooted dread which had been steadily growing stronger. He wasn't sure exactly when it had started, but he knew he couldn't just put it down to the weirdness which followed him and his friends around anymore.

So far he'd not voiced his fears to anyone, but he still felt as though he was screaming at the others and no one was listening. But how could they listen when they were focusing on what was happening right in front of them and not on him?

'So what happened here?' Joey shot a look towards Tristan. 'You were the one who found him like this, right?'

'Right,' Tristan forced a sense of calm into his being, 'I found him like this about the same time I found you. And just like you he's just not responding to anything.'

'Yugi,' Téa stared at him in concern, 'wake up, please.'

Whilst Yugi continued to sit there staring mindlessly into space, Tristan found himself taking a deep breath in and half closing his eyes. The strange feelings he was having meant nothing. It was just paranoia combined with the stress of the last few days. He just had to forget it, move on and concentrate on what was important. And right now that meant doing what everyone else was doing, focusing on what was happening right in front of him and finding some way of helping his friend.

'I wish we knew what was wrong with him.' Tristan reopened his eyes.

'Do you have any ideas?' Joey shot a look in Catilin's direction.

'Maybe,' her voice was slow and thoughtful, 'I just need one of you to tell me if that thing in his hand is what I think it is.'

In his early panic Tristan hadn't even noticed Yugi was holding something. Now that everyone else was staring at it, the only thing he could see was the Millennium Necklace. A part of him wondered why he hadn't bothered to check for something so obvious early, but the only response his mind gave him was to focus back in on the swirling dread inside his stomach.

'It's the Millennium Necklace,' Joey's voice was more than a little dry.

'Reama Tech,' Catilin gave an awkward laugh, 'and Timotee said that kind of power doesn't exist anymore.'

'It didn't even occur to me to think about the Millennium Items as anything other than the Millennium Items,' Joey tilted his head to one side. 'I'm not even sure I understand what Reama Tech is, except that it had something to do with what happened to our people.'

'Will you two please stop talking about things the rest of us don't understand?' Tristan gritted his teeth. 'What does any of this have to do with helping Yugi?'

'I'm sorry if you're feeling left out Tristan, but Catilin might know what's going on here.' Joey shot him a sympathetic look.

'And do you?' Tristan directed the question at Catilin.

'Maybe,' she took a seat on the bed next to Yugi and placed a hand on his forehead. 'I can see it... the past... so many things long forgotten... so far away and yet so close. A witness... a participant... So many things lost... Why are they lost? Why are they forgotten?' A confused look twisted the previously calm expression on her face. 'I don't understand. So much pain. Pain from loss. Pain from forgetting. All trapped so deep inside. Have to forget. Told to forget. Want to remember. Have to remember. All there. All not there. I don't understand. Why...?'

'Catilin, this isn't good for you,' Joey pulled her away, 'your mind's been overtaxed as it is.'

'I'm sorry,' she lowered her head a little as the confused look left her, 'I was just trying to help.'

* * *

The kingdom was in an uproar with the insistent buzz of rumour and the spiteful gossip of the idle. The dark forces which had been edging onto his kingdom were finally making themselves known. Two strangers leading an army of sorcerers had declared war on the land of Egypt. Fear was strife, all consuming and all-powerful. It was the first and last word to pass a person's lips in the course of a day. It was in the mind and action of every level of society, in every town, city and village across the kingdom. Even before the first blow had been stuck, the Pharaoh knew he had a fight on his hands and the stakes were too high for him to fail.

But Yoam Atem Ana-her was not a man who frightened easily. Since the start of his reign he'd been anticipating this evil and was more than prepared to face whatever onslaught it had in store for them.

'I can sense the evil in them from here,' Lillyannu shuddered. 'The closer they get to Memphis, the more of my people disappear. There has to be a connection. The level of threat they pose is greater than any we've face before. Everything in me's telling me there's something unnatural about them, I just wish I could tell you what.'

'It's okay, I'm not asking for you to give me details about them; I'm sure they'll reveal themselves soon enough.'

'They're pure evil Yoam, they must be stopped.'

'Do not tell me what I already know.'

'I'm sorry, it's just…'

'I know.'

'But what can we do?' Lillyannu curled her arms around her chest. 'How can we stop them before it's too late for my kind?'

'Who says I'm going to let you do anything?'

'It's my people they're hurting!'

'Yes, but it's me who they've challenged.' Yoam folded his arms in a calm manner.

'I don't care; I'm going to help you and you can't stop me. I have to, for the sake of my people.'

'Fine! I mean that's fine. I guess I'm going to need all the help I can get. But mark this, if your life ever falls under threat, I want you to back off and leave it to me.'

'Your advice has been noted.'

'Hey it's not advice Lilly, I'm serious. If things get too dangerous, I want you to back off and leave it to me.'

'We'll see.'

For a few long moments Yoam held her under a long, hard gaze. Then he gave a heavy sigh and relented.

'Okay, we'll see.'

'Do you always give into her?' A snide voice sounded from behind them.

They turned round to see two strangers stood just inside the doorway. One was a tall, powerfully built, dark haired man with a glint of evil in his eyes. Both of his cheeks were scared with crosses and his skin was darkened by long exposure to the sun. Next to him was a white haired man of similar height. His skin was dark but had an almost washed out effect to it and similar cheek scars to his companion. His age was hard to place, but his features twisted with dark amusement as he watched them.

'It's them Yoam,' Lillyannu whispered, 'it's the sorcerers.'

'That's right,' the man dark haired man smirked, 'and who might you be?'

'Don't answer.' Yoam placed a guarded hand in front of her.

'Very demanding of our women, aren't we Pharaoh?' The white haired man chuckled. 'But I think it's within her power to answer for herself, don't you?'

'Don't do it. Don't answer them,' Yoam glanced towards her, 'just get out of here.'

'I really think she'll be better off staying Pharaoh.' He sneered as the pair of them blocked Lillyannu's exit.

'Your fights with me, not her. Let her leave.'

'Why Pharaoh, don't lie to us,' the dark haired man waved his finger in a scolding manner, 'not more than a second ago I swear she said this was her fight too. Didn't you hear her say that?' He glanced towards his companion.

'I heard her alright,' the white haired man gave a shark-like grin, 'and I must admit I'm intrigued as to what she meant.'

'Let her leave,' Yoam glared at them both, 'or are you both too heartless to show compassion for a woman?'

'Now, now Pharaoh, control your temper please.' The white haired man appeared to be enjoying himself. 'If you are truly worried about your woman's safety I'll be glad to let her leave. But only once she's told me who she is.'

'That's not fair.' Lillyannu gritted her teeth.

'Well I'm not a very fair person.'

'Let me leave, now. '

'Such command in your voice, one might be tempted to think you were a queen.' The dark haired man laughed. 'But that's not possible, is it Lillyannu?'

'You know who I am?' Lillyannu took a step back.

'It wasn't exactly hard.' He rolled his eyes. 'But still who'd have thought the rulers of the two empires we are about to crush would be together in one place. It's almost makes it too easy.'

'You won't defeat us. I won't let you.'

'Oh but my dear queen, you don't have a choice in the matter,' the dark haired one's face filled with a devilish grin. 'Your numbers are falling all the time and each loss you suffer is another elite monster for my army.'

'Doesn't it just kill you to know your own kind are being used to defeat your _dear friend the Pharaoh_?' The white haired one laughed. 'So much for wanting to help him.'

'Who are you?' Yoam glared at them.

'All in good time Pharaoh,' the dark haired one turned to leave.

'We've been waiting a long time for this and we would hate to spoil all the fun so quickly,' the white haired one gave them one last shark-like smile. 'We'll be seeing you.'

Without another word the pair left the chamber, leaving a sense of foreboding darkness in their wake. For a few moments there was silence, then Yoam's eyes went towards Lillyannu. She was still staring after their intruders, her body rigid with anger.

'They've got some nerve talking to me like that.' She seethed. 'So long as there's an Ashmar then my people will _never_ be defeated. I pray with everything in me Ni catches them both in his steely grip of death and snuffs their lives out.'


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

'This place is beautiful.'

'This place, Yoam, is Silkoniousmacarmakay.' Simüte's eyes stared distantly out towards the horizon. 'Would you believe it was once a wasteland darkened by shadows?'

'It's hard to believe.'

'It's as true as my name is Simüte Lutoni.'

'I don't understand,' Yoam studied his friend, 'why did you bring me here?'

'I don't know,' Simüte shrugged, 'I guess I always wanted you to see this place. It's my homeland, but as a Lutoni it's so much more to me than that.

'What do you mean?'

'I mean it was my ancestor's tears which turned this place into a light born from shadows. As a Lutoni I am a part of this land; in so many ways I am this land. My soul and my eternal spirit belong here'

'You talk as though you were dead.'

'Maybe...' Simüte gaze remained fixed on the distant horizon.

'Why do I get the feeling there's something you want to tell me?' Yoam attempted to follow Simüte's gaze. 'Something important.'

'Because you've known me for a long time old friend; maybe even too long,' his eyes turned towards him. 'Yoam I turned thirty-five last week.'

'I know.'

'It's been exactly twenty-one years since we first met, did you know that?'

'You make it sound like a lifetime.'

'It is, isn't it?'

'I guess, but what does this have to do with anything?'

Simüte hesitated and lowered his gaze to the ground. This was the second time Yoam had seen his old friend at a loss for words and it left him with a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

'I think I know what Lillyannu's moment of clarity means...' Simüte's voice broke a little as he spoke.

'Really, have you told her?'

'I knew what it meant from the moment she told us about it...' He ignored the question.

'Have you told her?'

'I knew what it meant because it was everything I'd feared...'

'Simüte, have you told her?'

'No.'

'Why not?'

'Because I can't.' Simüte's voice was so soft it was almost as though he hadn't spoken.

His words caused a deep silence to form between the pair. Yoam found his gaze shifting back towards the horizon as he tried to figure out who was supposed to speak next. The answer refused to come to him and the silence became deafening.

'This is stupid.' Simüte's soft voice shattered the tense calm. 'I mean it's like I know I should tell you but I can't.'

'Why not?'

'The same reason I can't tell Lilly. The same reason I keep coming back to this place and remembering everything it means to be a Lutoni. This land is my gift to my people and the moment of clarity is Lilly's. It goes against everything my people believe in and would tarnish the Ashmar house if she's not the one to work out her own vision; but it's killing me to know.'

'Then break tradition, tell her!'

'Break tradition? How can you ask me such a thing Yoam? You might as well ask me to break my own heart. I can't do it, I just can't.'

'Why not?'

Yoam wished more than anything he understood his friend's customs better. In all the years they'd known each other, he'd never asked more than half a dozen questions about his friend's people. It felt wrong to him now and made him feel helpless in the face of his friend's pain.

'You don't understand.' Simüte shook his head. 'You can't.'

'No, you're right, I can't and you won't explain.' Yoam lowered his gaze. 'But you have always said you were a free spirit Simüte. A lone wolf. An individual in a crowd. So why can't you break with tradition? I mean isn't that what a free spirit does? Don't lone wolves make their own rules?'

'Oh if only it were that easy.' He gave a heavy sigh. 'No matter what else I am, I am still a Lutoni. And, as much as I hate his logic, I am still my father son. I am a part of this land, Yoam. My roots are planted deeply here; to go against tradition... I can't Yoam, I just can't.'

'You don't seem sure of yourself.' Yoam studied his friend again. 'You sound like you want to break with tradition, because you know it's the right thing to do.'

'That's why I brought you here.' Simüte met his gaze. 'But now that you are... Believe me I want to tell you, I do, but…'

'You can't?'

'Mm. I know it's hard to understand, but everybody has to obey some kind of order otherwise there'd be nothing but chaos.'

'Chaos is a bad thing.'

'That's what I've always been taught, but lately I'm not so sure.' He began massaging his temples. 'My head hurts; I feel trapped and I want to turn to the true order of things, but my family forwent any rights they had to it long ago. I now know why the Ashmar's say the moment of clarity is a burden; how they can keep their sanity I'll never know.'

'But aren't they at least able to tell people what their moment was?'

'Yes and no. They can say what was in the vision, but not what it means. They've got to strive towards it on their own and…'

Before Simüte could say anymore his form began to distort as though an invisible force was pulling him.

'Simüte what's happening to you?' Yoam felt panic shoot through his body.

'Yoam help!'

'Simüte...!'

But it was too late; Simüte was gone and Yoam suddenly found himself violently expelled from Silkoniousmacarmakay. Maddening thoughts raced round his head as his eyes searched the room of his Memphis palace he now found himself in. He couldn't... wouldn't believe his friend was gone. That he was...

'Simüte,' Yoam forced all thoughts from his mind. 'Simüte where are you? Simüte!'


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

'So is it what you thought it was?' Tristan shot Catilin an almost impatient look.

'Tristan,' Joey felt almost shocked by his friend's behaviour, 'can't you see that experience was traumatic enough for her?'

'That's kind of the problem I'm having with it right now,' he sighed before focusing his attention back on Catilin, 'and what exactly was with all the insane rambling anyway? Who are you? What are you? And what does your being here have to do with Yugi?'

'Tristan back off,' Joey glared at him, 'you're not being fair.'

'And you're being overly protective, just how long exactly have you known this girl for? What is she to you?'

'Tristan...'

'It's alright Joey,' Catilin placed a hand on his arm, 'he's had a very confusing day and he's just a little upset right now. Besides, I have the answers he needs, don't I?' She turned her attention towards Tristan. 'The piece of Reama Tech your friend is holding, the one you guys call the Millennium Necklace, its allowing him to explore his past.'

'His past?' Tristan frowned, his whole mannerism appearing to calm down.

'Well more Yoam's past than his own I would imagine.'

'Who's Yoam?' Téa frowned.

'Yoam Atem Ana-her,' Catilin tilted her head to one side, 'he's the great Pharaoh who originally owned the Puzzle your friend is wearing.'

'We've just been calling him Yami or the Pharaoh,' Téa gave a nervous laugh, 'I didn't know he had another name.'

'You didn't...' she hesitated for a moment. 'I guess he forgot when he put himself in the Puzzle or maybe it's because of the Disconnection.'

'The Disconnection?' Tristan frowned. 'What Disconnection?'

'The Disconnection from magic,' Catilin titled her head from side to side, 'I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to say, but this was one of six Realms which buried all magic and magical knowledge.'

'But why?' Serenity blinked at her.

'Because it was necessary,' Catilin shrugged.

'Is that the best explanation you can give us?' Tristan raised an eyebrow at her.

'Uh-huh,' she nodded. 'It's all I'm allowed to say, but I get the feeling Yugi is only exploring Yoam's past because of me.'

'Oh really? And why would that be?'

'You have to understand I was... confused early. I only came to see Joey, but when I found out that Yoam... err... Yugi was here too; well I just had to see him. In my head at the time it was the simplest thought in the world. To see him and not be seen. Just to indulge in the past for a moment and try to understand why my ancestor behaved the way she did. But confused people aren't exactly the best at staying hidden and... well he ended up seeing me; I guess that was to make Yoam's remember.'

'Remember what?'

'My ancestor Lillyannu and probably Simüte too.'

'Who Simüte?' Tristan's face filled with a deep frown.

'It doesn't matter.' Joey folded his arms, suddenly feeling defensive again.

'I wasn't asking you.'

'Well it's my business, so it's my question to answer.'

'Since when was it your business?'

'Since I said so.'

'Joey please,' Catilin gripped onto his shirt sleeve, 'I know a lot has happened, but I don't want you doing what Kimmy and Timmy did and push people away; it only leads to trouble.'

'Sorry Cat, it's just…'

'I know.'

'Okay, sometime in the near future I'm going to need to get an explanation out of you Joey,' Tristan gritted his teeth, 'or does being your best friend and always having your back mean nothing to you anymore?'

For a few moments Joey just stared at him. Then a guilty feeling pushed its way through his stomach. Tristan might have been acting like a total jerk, but only because he'd had a stressful couple of days too; when all the craziness was happening directly to you it was sometimes hard to remember it affect those who cared about you as well.

'I'm sorry Tristan,' Joey half turned away from him, 'I didn't mean to make it feel like I was pushing you away or something. It's just a lot of this stuff is really confusing right now and we need to concentrate on helping Yugi.'

'But half the stuff you and that Catilin girl are going on about sound _connected_ to Yugi somehow.' Tristan gave an annoyed half sigh. 'What if filling us in now helps?'

'And what if it doesn't? I mean, I can't even explain half of it to myself, never mind you.'

'Then let Catilin explain it, she seems to understand it all well enough.'

'I...'

'Yugi...' Before he could finish what he was saying, Mai had pulled herself up out of the bed and started making her way towards the other bed. 'Yugi...'

'Mai, don't overtax yourself like this.' Joey took hold of her shoulders. 'You're still tired from that evil Marik's hold over your mind. You need to rest.'

'Yugi...' Mai ignored him and continued to move towards Yugi's bed.

'Mai please.'

'Yugi...'

Her legs gave way and she fell to the ground. Without hesitation Joey scooped her up and carried her back to her own bed.

'You should listen to my brother Mai,' Serenity's voice was calm but worried, 'you need to rest. You're not strong enough, is she Joey?'

'No, you're not.' Joey stroked some of the hair back from her forehead. 'Rest Mai, for me, please?'

'Joey...?' Mai frowned at him. 'Veronie...? I...' She met Joey's gaze held it for a few moments. 'Veronie...?'

'We know you want to help Mai, but you're better off in bed right now.' Joey turned his head away. 'Like Serenity said, you're still not well. You just concentrate on resting, alright?'

There were a few long minutes of silence and Joey felt as though he could feel time moving on around them. It was an unsettling feeling and it made him feel a little cold inside.

'Hey where's Duke?' Tristan broke the silence as though he'd only just noticed one of their entourage was missing.

'I don't know,' Téa frowned, 'I haven't seen him in a while.'

'That's strange. Do you think we should we go look for him?' Serenity's large eyes stared around at the others.

'I suppose so,' Tristan stared towards the door, 'he is Yugi's friend too, I guess.' He gave a sudden and heavy sigh. 'Look, I'm the one getting most frustrated with this situation. I think it would be good if I had something else to focus on for a while. So I'll go look for him, if you guys promise to take care of the whole Yugi mess whilst I'm gone.'

'Are you sure Tristan?' Joey shot him a curious look.

'No offence man, but if I hear you or that Catilin chick tell me something doesn't matter or you can't explain one more time, I'm seriously going to explode. Looking for Duke might cool my head off a little and is certainly not going to make it worse.'

'Well, if you're sure...'

'I am. See you guys later.'

With that he made his way out of the room. Joey's gaze followed him until he was out of sight. Tristan had been acting more highly strung than usual ever since they'd returned from Noah's virtual world. A part of him couldn't help but wonder what kind of psychological effect being in the body of a robot monkey had had on his friend; the experience might have been a virtual one, but the memories were very much real. At that moment Joey promised himself that as soon as everything had calmed down, he would do his best to make sure Tristan was okay. After all, the two of them had known each other for a long time and it would take a lot for Joey to give up on a friendship like that.

* * *

Duke was bored. He couldn't understand what had happened to everyone else. One minute he knew where they were, the next no one could be found. The only place he hadn't thought to look, apart from the duelling arena at the top of the ship, was Mai's room. A part of him told him that's where he would find them, but some unknown instinct ridiculed the idea as it formed inside his head. It was strange, he felt as though he should to be with them, yet he needed to be alone. Giving into those instincts he headed back towards the cabin he was sharing with Tristan and Joey. He had almost made it back there when he encountered Seto Kaiba.

'What are you doing here Kaiba?' Duke frowned.

'It's my airship; I think it's within my rights to go wherever I please, don't you?'

'Yeah, I guess, but I figured you'd be trying to stay out of everyone's way right now.'

'That is the plan,' Kaiba folded his arms, 'so if you don't mind...'

'Wait,' Duke stopped him from leaving, 'you haven't seen Yugi or the others have you?'

'I have better things to do with my time than worry about the whereabouts of your friends.' Kaiba rolled his eyes. 'But if you must know I heard quite a commotion coming from the medical room earlier, you might want to check there.'

'Err, thanks, I guess.'

'For what, making me wish I'd stuck to my original plan and taken my own personal jet back home?'

'You had your own personal jet on that island?'

'That's none of your business,' Kaiba glared at him. 'Now if you don't mind I have more important things to attend to.'

With that he walked away.

'I guess I'm going back to Mai's room.' Duke pulled a face as he stared after Kaiba. 'So why do I feel like I don't want to go back there?'

For a few long moments he found himself in an internal battle of wills. He wanted to find out how his friends were doing, but he just couldn't convince himself to go to them; something in his gut told him to continue towards his cabin. Unable to fight against these urges anymore, he did as they were instructing. As soon as he entered the cabin he felt himself drawn towards the window. For a long couple of minutes he stared down at the view below, before some unknown feeling made him place a hand against the cold glass in front of him.

'This is silly.'

'Is it?' An unfamiliar voice sounded from behind him.

'Who's there?' Duke turned round, but the room was empty. 'Must have been my imagination...'

'Is that all I am? Aren't I more than that?' The voice sounded again.

'Who's there? Where are you?' His eyes began to frantically search the room, but still they couldn't find anyone. 'Look, this isn't funny!'

'Really?'

'Who are you?'

'Who are you?' The voice mimicked.

'I asked first!' Duke felt something knot inside of him.

'I guessed you did.' The voice giggled.

'So who are you?'

'I have no name.'

'Why not?' Duke frowned.

'Only the living have names. And I am not the living.'

'Are you dead?'

'No.'

'But…?'

'To die you must first be alive. I have never been alive so I can't be dead.'

'What are you?' Duke felt confused.

'A part.'

'Huh?'

'A part of a person. I am because I was willed to be, but I'm not truly sure what I am.'

'I don't understand, if you're a part of a person wouldn't that make you alive?'

'Depends on how you look at it I guess, but I've never been told to look at it that way.'

'So what are you doing you here?' Duke's eyes made another examination of the cabin, as he tried to work out where his invisible guest might be.

'I'm not sure why I'm here. One minute I was where I belong and the next I was here. What about you?'

'Well, this is my cabin, so I guess you could say I belong here. But I think I should be with my friends right now.'

'You have friends? Why aren't you with them?'

'I'm not sure,' Duke frowned, 'something doesn't feel right when I think about going to be with them.'

'Then maybe they're not really your friends.' The voice paused for a moment. 'I'm a friend, I think.'

'Huh?'

'I think I'm someone's friend. Not the Original's, but someone important. It's all so confusing really. What I am and what I'm not doesn't always make a lot of sense. There are others like me, I know that. Only few of us have names and most of us are over lapping. So I might be someone's friend.'

'I'm not sure I understand,' Duke's frown deepened. 'Who's the Original and how many of you are there?'

'The Original was the one who was there before we were. I'm not sure how many of us there are, but I know none of us should be like this.'

'Well, what are you meant to be like?' He was starting to feel more than a little confused now.

'All in one place. We're supposed to all be together in the Original's head. We used to be. A long time ago and for a long time we all lived inside the Original's head. But times have changed, we can move of our own free will now. We can choose when we have form and what that form looks like.'

'You mean I could actually see you?'

'I guess so. Would you like that?'

'Yeah,' Duke nodded slowly, 'I think I would.'

Very slowly a small boy began to appear a few feet away from where Duke was standing. His blond hair was shaggy and unkempt. His bright blue eyes were wide with innocence but alert with a deeper intelligence than either of them would ever understand. The clothing he wore was tatty and just added to his overall scruffy appearance. But all of that paled in comparison to the one fact Duke had not been expecting; the fact he looked like a nine year old boy.

'What do you think?' The boy grinned at him. 'Does this suit you better?'


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

'Hush, hush, don't cry, mama's here. Don't cry my baby, don't cry,' the Mother rocked back and forth. 'Hush, hush now, it's alright.'

'Well she a lot of good ain't she,' the Texan rolled her eyes.

'You can't blame her for the way she is,' the Prophet shook her head, 'she's just swings and roundabouts. It's just the way she was made.'

'Thar ya go again, lookin down on rest of us just cuz ya'll a lil more there in the head. Can't ya just fur once not be so high n mighty 'bout everythin?'

'Can't you for once lay off the criticisms?'

'Yer one ta talk.'

'At least I can,' the Prophet calmly folded her arms, 'then again you are just the product of your creation.'

'An just what's that suppose ta mean?'

A smug smile filled the Prophet as she prepared her comeback. It was her nature to see herself as the social and mental better of her contemporise, because by design and intent alone she was. She couldn't help being that way any more than the rest of them could. But what she did have over them was a deep sense of enjoyment for her assigned lot in life. Her lips were about to curl around the prefect insult when a voice which always made the Prophet cringe with dread sounded from behind her.

'Well if it isn't my three favourite girls. Doesn't that just beat all?'

'Get lost Slut,' the Prophet turned.

'Well hello to you too Prophet,' the Slut pressed herself up against her, making her squirm. 'Did you miss me?'

'I wouldn't miss you if my very existence depended on it,' she gritted her teeth. 'You repulse me.'

'Well that's not very nice,' the Slut pouted as she began running her fingers along the Prophet's chest. 'You should be nicer to me you know, we were made to be together after all.

'Don't remind me,' the Prophet attempted to squirm away. 'I don't know what the Original was thinking when she created you.'

'Oh my dear Prophet, I was the one she created first, the real question is what was she thinking when she created you?' The Slut laughed as she wrapped her arms around the Prophet's waist.

'Five minutes. You were created five minutes before I was.'

'And that makes all the difference in the world.' The Slut grinned. 'You know I've got some news you might just be interested in,' she playfully bit the Prophet's ear. 'But if you want it, you'd better play nice.'

'Get off me!' The Prophet pushed her away. 'I don't care what you know, just get off me. I hate you!'

'Naughty, naughty,' the Slut wagged her finger at her. 'You, my girl, should learn to play nice.'

'Ignore er Slut; just tell me what ya know,' the Texan took a step forward. 'I've jus been dyin fur a change from this lark.'

'I'm sorry Texan, but you know it doesn't work like that. The Prophet and I were made to be together, it's why we make such an amazing team.'

'Yeah, where I do all the work and you take all the glory,' the Prophet glared at her, 'last I checked that wasn't team work.'

'Don't be like that Prophet; I promise you'll want to know what I have to tell you. Now, come here.'

'No.'

'Fine, but don't blame me if the Original gets all vixen mad later.' The Slut shrugged and turned away from her. 'I'll just tell her that you weren't interested and I can hardly be trusted on my own. She'd believe me, it was why you were created after all.'

'Fine,' the Prophet relented, 'tell me what you know.'

'Come here first.' The Slut pointed down to the ground in front of her.

The Prophet gave a disgusted sigh and did as she was told. She'd always liked to consider herself better than the Slut, but the truth was they were equals. Equals created to be together no matter how much one hated the other. The Prophet would always give into the Slut eventually, because that's how she'd been created. But the reverse was also true. It was just unfortunate that this was one of those occasions where the Slut had the upper hand.

'Okay, I'm here,' the Prophet reached the spot the Slut had pointed to, 'tell me what you know.'

The Slut giggled and pressed herself against the Prophet. She then grabbed the back of the Prophet's head and pulled it closer to her. The Slut's lips moved in against the Prophet's ear and in a breathy whisper she told her...

'The Boy's missing.'

* * *

Duke stood for a few moments staring hard at the boy who had just appeared before him. An unsettled feeling moved back and forth through his stomach, leaving a strangely cold sensation in its wake.

'From your voice I thought you might have been a girl.' Duke frowned as he tried to make sense of his own feelings.

'A girl?' The Boy stared down at himself. 'You mean I'm not?'

'Huh?'

'I guess I must be a boy if you say I am, but I don't much feel like a boy. Then again I don't much feel like a girl either.' The Boy tilted his head to one side. 'What is it that makes me a boy?'

'Err…'

'You're embarrassed, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you like that. It's just that it can be confusing sometimes.'

'If you say so.'

A silence fell in their conversation as Duke struggled to think of what to say next. The Boy took the opportunity to walk over to one of the beds and tentatively touch the frame. From there he made his way around the room, exploring everything with both his eyes and fingers. It was as though he didn't fully understand what his senses did and at the same time there was more to it than that. When the Boy reached the window Duke had been stood at, he placed his hand upon the glass and tilted his head with thought.

'This is silly.' He mimicked Duke's earlier sentiment, before frowning. 'Why?'

'I…'

'It's cold,' the Boy's eyes went up towards Duke, 'is that what makes it silly? Lots of things in this room are cold or warm. Some things feel smooth like this, others feel rough. Does being cold _and_ smooth make something silly?'

'No.' Duke shook his head.

'Then why was this silly?'

'Because...' Duke hesitated for a moment. 'Well it... I mean, the window itself wasn't silly, it was standing with my hand on it.'

'Like I am now?'

'Yes.'

'Why is that silly?'

'Because...' Duke searched for some reasonable explanation. 'I... I guess it was because there was no reason for me to be doing it.'

'So if you don't have a reason for something it makes it silly?' The Boy mused.

'I guess.'

'Then am I silly?'

'Huh?'

'There isn't a reason for me. Am I silly?'

'Err...' Duke blinked a few times. 'I... I think you're different. I... What I mean is, people don't need a reason.'

'But I'm not people.' The Boy shook his head. 'I'm not even a person. People have names, they are born, they live and they die. I just am. I'm not a person, does that make me silly?'

'You look like a person to me.' Duke frowned. 'You sound like one too.'

'So you don't think I'm silly?'

'No.'

'The Original doesn't think me silly either.' The Boy stared at the ground. 'But then I don't think she thinks much of me at all. She never even told me if I was a boy or a girl; just that I was.'

'That doesn't seem fair.'

'Fair?' The Boy rolled the word around for a moment. 'I'm not sure this has anything to do with fair. I know she thinks of me more than those who don't know they even are. Just like she thinks more of those who crave her attention or can tell her things she doesn't yet know. But she thinks most of those who have their own name. Those who don't overlap. Those who are people, not just parts.'

'Do you want her to think more of you?'

'Not sure,' the Boy tilted his head to one side, 'but I know how to make her. I must be worthy of a name. If I have a name, then I'll be a person, she'll think more of me then. But I'm not ready for a name yet.'

'You seem ready to me.'

'You've never met any of the others though.' The Boy's eyes rose to meet with his. 'There are some who are more a person than I am who still don't have names. The Original says they're too flat and I'm much flatter than they are. I'm not insane either.'

'What difference does that make?'

'Daya, she was insane, just as flat as me but completely off it. She got a name because she was needed. If I had been needed I would have gotten a name too. But I wasn't insane, so she didn't need me.' The Boy paused in thought for a moment. 'Sometimes they call me a base.'

'A what?'

'A base; a part which becomes a part of others. Some of the one's who have names have a bit of me in them. I don't mind that.'

'But you would like a name of your own, right?' Duke studied the Boy for a moment. 'You want the Original to think more of you?'

'I want to be more like the Prophet.' The Boy's eyes sparkled for a moment. 'She's funny, I like her, but she doesn't want a name. She says that it doesn't do the Original any good having so many names in her head. But the Original was able to expel us and keep us out of her head so the Texan says it's all right to get names now. But I don't like the Texan much; she's not as all there as the Prophet.'

'I see... I think,' Duke tried his best to follow. 'So what does the Original think of it all?'

'She sides with the Texan, but doesn't like her. She wants the Prophet to become her ally and represent the interests of the nameless. But the Prophet refuses because it means she'll never be able to escape the _one she was_ _made to be with_, since she would also become the Original's ally. The Texan says she's scared. But I don't think she's scared. I know the Prophet doesn't like the _one she was made to be with_, but she's not scared of her. The Prophet says it's her principles, but I don't know what principles means.'

'I'm not sure I followed any of that?' Duke rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. 'Why does the Original want a representative?'

'She's got one for the named and he helps her loads. I think there's a bit of me in him too. He's her council, at least that's what he says. I think he's just her friend. But she also wants the nameless to be represented too, because we used to be a part of her and we should still have our voices heard.'

'But the Prophet won't do it?'

'No, because else she'll never be able to escape the _one she was made to be with_.'

'And who's that exactly?'

'She's as old as the Prophet. They were made together to work together. I think she was originally called the Muse, but everyone now calls her the Slut. The Slut says the Prophet takes things too seriously, but the Prophet says the Slut doesn't take things seriously enough. They argue over everything, but in the end one always gives into the other. It's the way they are. They were made to be together.'

'But doesn't that just mean the Prophet will never be able to escape the Slut no matter what she does?'

'That's what I think,' the Boy laughed, 'but the Prophet says if she's not working for the Original she at least has the chance to try. The Prophet wants nothing more than to escape the Slut, but all the Slut wants is to be with the Prophet.'

'I think I understand,' Duke found himself studying the Boy again. 'But why did the Original design the Prophet to dislike the Slut so much if the two of them can never escape each other.'

'Only the Original knows that,' the Boy shook his head, 'and the Original will never tell.'


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

A few seconds earlier Simüte had been stood in paradise. Now he found himself trapped in an expanse of nothingness. Darkness stretched out around him, wrapping him in a strange, empty kind of coldness. A deep sense of loneliness and despair filled his being as he hugged his arms around himself and crouched down. Without warning the deafening silence was broken by the distant sound of weeping and a million voices all calling out for help. His eyes searched the darkness, but the voices died away before he could work out where they were coming from. Curling himself up into a ball, he began to pray. He had never felt so afraid before and he didn't know what else to do. It didn't take long for the voices to return much louder than before, all frighten, all calling for help.

'Simüte.'

A single voice cut across the noise, forcing Simüte's eyes up to meet with a magnificent creature of light stood not so far away from him. The feeling of loneliness left him for a moment, but fear of the darkness kept him rooted to the spot.

'Simüte, can you hear me?'

'Y-yes.' Simüte's voice was little more than a whisper.

'I know you're confused and frightened right now, but I need you to be strong for me.'

'Where... Where am I? What... what's going on?'

'You're trapped in the shadows, Simüte; you're trapped in the game.'

'No,' the word howled out of him. 'I'll never escape. I'll be here forever. The house of Lutoni has fallen.'

'No Simüte, don't give into your despair. I need you to be strong. You're the only one strong enough to do this. You're the only one strong enough to escape.'

Almost as soon as she'd finished speaking the figure appeared to fall to its knees. As it did it transformed into a beautiful young woman with a look of sheer pain on her face. In Simüte's heart he felt as though he knew who this woman was, but the idea was so impossible he pushed the thought from his mind.

'Are you alright?' He reached out a hand towards her, too afraid of the consequences to actually make contact.

'There are too many voices here.' The woman shook her head. 'They all talk at once. They're so loud they clash with my own. And the screaming... They scream in pain.'

'I know, I heard them.'

'They need you Simüte, you must save them. You're the only one who can save them.'

'But how? And why me? What can I do?'

'You can escape.'

'But...?'

'You're special Simüte. Your line is special, that's why you have the power to do what no other before you could.'

'But... I'm not...'

'Don't you believe me Simüte? Don't you know who I am?'

'I... I'm not sure... I...'

'I am that which was there before all others,' the woman's eyes met with his. 'I was there when everything began. I was how everything began. You know who I am Simüte.'

'I do.' Simüte's mouth felt dry. 'I do, but I'm not sure I believe it. How... how can I be here talking to you now. This isn't possible.'

'It's more than possible Simüte and this is not the first time we've spoken.'

'I think I would remember...'

'No you would not, for I did not look like this then. Simüte you are special and I have been watching you your whole life. I was the prophet who told you to follow your roots. I was the boy who led you first to Memphis the day you met Yoam. I have been watching you just as my sisters have been watching them. That's how I know you're capable of escaping from this place. You're the only one who can.'

'But how?'

'I cannot tell you Simüte, you must work it out for yourself.' She groaned in pain. 'The voices are too much for me, I must leave here before they become my undoing. Be strong Simüte Lutoni and you shall be a hero to your kind.'

Even though her disappearance returned Simüte to his previous state of loneliness, he was not going to let it overwhelm him this time. He got to his feet and stared around at the dark expanse trying to figure out the best way to go from here. He wasn't sure if he could truly be a hero to his kind, but it didn't matter. He had the faith and belief of a being more powerful than any he knew. If she believed this was his destiny then so be it. Simüte took a deep breath in before stepping forward.

As soon as he did a wave of screaming voices crashed down around him. The sound was so painful he almost couldn't more. But there were too many people counting on him for him to be struck down so easily. Gritting his teeth he pressed forward in search of a way back into the light.

* * *

The Boy's disappearance was a problem. Ever since they'd been expelled from the Original he'd become increasingly more difficult to control. So much so that the Prophet had felt it necessary to personally keep a close eye on him. It was a self-appointed task, but one she took a great deal of pride in. After all, it wasn't as though any of the others were bothered enough to keep the Boy out of trouble.

The Prophet's eyes turned towards the Slut. A part of her wondered if she had anything to do with this. After all, it would be her style. She liked to cause trouble just for the sake of it, especially if it meant annoying the Prophet. Not that she had to do much to annoy the Prophet; all the Slut really needed to do for that was exist.

'I think he might be down there, don't you?' The Slut interrupted her train of thoughts.

'I hope not. The Boy's not exactly...'

'I know exactly what the Boy is like just as well as you do,' the Slut waved a dismissive hand. 'That's why I think he might be down there.'

'But how...?'

'I don't know. But I do know there's only one way to find out...'


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Once the Boy had finished explaining himself, he began to explore the room they were in again. Duke watched him, this time with a renewed sense of fascination. There was something about the Boy. Something about the way he moved, the way he spoke and the way he handled himself which made Duke feel... He wasn't sure what, exactly. But he knew without question the Boy had his undivided attention now. The friends who lurked somewhere else on the ship were becoming almost irrelevant. If they couldn't be bothered to include Duke in what they were doing, why should he include them?

After a while the Boy came back towards Duke. His eyes stared up at him with a willing kind of eagerness and Duke felt somehow lost within his gaze.

'Is this all there is?'

'Huh?' Duke frowned.

'This place, is this all there is?' The Boy tilted his head to one side.

'Uh, no.'

'What more is there?'

'Err... I guess you're asking about the rest of the airship.' Duke pressed his lips together for a moment. 'Do you want to leave this room and take a look around?'

'Where I'm from one room is a vast empty expanse,' the Boy's eyes examined Duke for a moment, 'this room is tiny.'

'Yes, I know. I've been in rooms much bigger than this myself. But there are other rooms on the airship; do you want to take a look around?'

'How big is the airship?' The Boy's face filled with excitement. 'Is it really, really big?'

'Err... well it's the biggest I've ever been on.' Duke rubbed the back of his neck almost nervously. 'Do you want to look around?'

'The biggest one you've ever been on,' the Boy rolled these words around for a second. 'Does that mean the airship's not all there is?'

'No.'

'Then I will look around the airship and afterwards you can show me what else there is.'

'I will,' Duke nodded eagerly, 'just as soon as we land.'

'Land?'

'Err... that's not important right now.' He made his way towards the door. 'Come on kid, I'll show you round.'

* * *

Tristan couldn't quite believe his eyes when he saw the small boy Duke was leaving their cabin with. There was something about the kid which set his stomach on edge. It wasn't the fact he shouldn't have been there in the first place, because apparently everyone in the entire universe somehow had a way of magically getting onto the airship. It was something about the boy himself which made Tristan's stomach repeat the same feelings of dread finding an unconscious Joey and zoned out Yugi had.

This strange boy was another bad omen in a day filled with bad omens. With a deep sense of trepidation Tristan forced himself to catch up with them.

'Duke, hey Duke, wait up!'

Even though he was less than half a corridor behind them, neither of them gave the slightest reaction to his voice.

'Hey Duke man wait up will you?'

Still no reaction. Lowering his head slightly Tristan ran full pelt towards them, catching up to them within a matter of seconds.

'What is it with people today?' Tristan panted as he fell into step beside them. 'Why didn't you wait for me?'

Duke didn't even so much blink at the sound of Tristan's voice. The feeling of dread rolling through his stomach once again began to grow. It took everything Tristan had in him to stop it from turning into uncontrollable panic.

'Hey Duke can't you hear me, I'm standing right next to you.'

Again no reaction. Nothing. Within a heartbeat dread had rolling into panic and then into frustration.

'Did I wake up invisible or something this morning?' Tristan half screamed at him. 'Hey Duke, why are you ignoring me?'

This time there was a reaction. Not from Duke, but from the boy he was with. The look the youngster gave him was so cold it rooted Tristan to the spot. A small smirk then appeared on the lad's face as he took hold of Duke's hand and began pulling him forward.

'You have to show me everything,' the boy buzzed, 'you have to show me everything.'

'I will.' Duke smiled at him. 'I promise.'

'Duke,' Tristan attempted to free himself from the invisible hold the boy had placed on him, 'Duke don't trust that kid. Duke you have to listen to me. Duke!'

* * *

It was strange; a few moments ago Duke could have sworn he heard some kind of noise buzzing around his ear. That noise was gone now and was already starting to feel like little more than a distant memory. He didn't know why that bothered him, but it did. Duke's gaze turned down towards the Boy who was leading him along. His bright blue eyes were wide with wonder and Duke felt slightly jealous at his childish fascination with simple things he himself took for granted. Together they were slowly making their way towards the airships outside duelling arena. There was something about the way the Boy was leading him which made Duke momentarily doubt his innocent fascination. But when the Boy's bright blue eyes met with his again all doubts were erased.

How could a child so fascinated by the simple things be anything but what he claimed?


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

It had taken him about five minutes to release himself from whatever spell the Boy had put him under. Once he was free instinct told him to go back to Mai's room and let the others know they were faced with yet another crisis. Without hesitation he ran full pelt back down the corridor and burst into Mai's room. For a moment his head swam sickly and he found himself sinking to the ground in order to re-gather his thoughts. Something told him the dizziness was a left over effect from whatever spell the Boy had put him under, but at that moment in time it felt like the least of his problems.

This was slowly turning into the worst day of his life and considering everything they'd been through the last few days that was saying a lot. It was the feeling of dread inside of him, the one telling him everything was very wrong somehow, which just made the day so unbearable. But it was more than that; it was as though the universe were conspiring to make sure he was the one to keep finding his zoned out friends. Duke was just the latest victim of whatever invisible forces were gathering around them. Except in his case the invisible force wasn't so invisible. Tristan shuddered as he thought about the cold look in the Boy's eyes; it was enough to force him back to his feet in order to deliver his message to the others.

'I think there's something wrong with Duke.'

There was no reply. The others continued to focus their attention on Mai and Yugi as though he hadn't even spoken at all. For a second a burst of annoyance ran through him, then he realised he probably hadn't spoken loudly enough.

'I think there's something wrong with Duke.'

Still no one took a blind bit of notice of him. The burst of frustration turned into deep rooted annoyance as he made his way towards them.

'I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH DUKE!'

When this failed to get even the slightest response from the others, he preceded in waving a hand in front of their faces. Not one of them so much as blinked. His frustration and annoyance was too strong for him to rationalise the situation. All he could think was that they were conspiring against him for some unknown reason; it was the only way to explain the unsettled feeling in his stomach.

'Come on guys, this is not the time to be messing around.' Tristan gritted his teeth as he half shouted into Joey's ear. 'This isn't funny. If you lot are playing some kind of joke, well stop it right now. You've got to listen to me,' he turned his attention towards Téa, 'I've got something important to tell you. I'm serious, quit ignoring me! Don't any of you get there's a major problem going on right now?' He focused his attention on Serenity. 'Come on guys, listen to me. This joke has gone on long enough and Duke could be in some serious trouble here. Guys!'

In one sudden jolt annoyance turned into anger. If they were going to play games with him, that was just fine, but he wasn't going to stand around whilst some unknown Boy played games with Duke. Just because they couldn't be bothered to care about their friend, didn't mean he couldn't.

'If that's the way you guys want to be then fine, see if I care. But you'll only have yourselves to blame if something bad really does happen to Duke.'

* * *

'Huh?' Joey's eyes turned towards the door, which appeared to have just opened and closed of its own accord. 'Hey did you just see that?'

'See what?' Serenity frowned at him.

'Just now the door opened and closed, but no one came in or out.'

'That's the second time it's done that.' Téa tilted her head in thought.

'It is?'

'Yeah, it did it about ten minutes or so before.'

'I remember,' Catilin murmured. 'Something felt weird at the time, but I didn't know what. It was just like this strange... feeling filled the room and...'

'Did anyone else notice a buzzing noise? Just now I mean.' Serenity interrupted her.

'Yeah!' The response was unanimous.

'I don't know why, but I felt like I should have been paying attention to it.'

'I know what you mean.' Téa pressed her lips together. 'It was like there was something familiar about the buzz.'

'Curious,' Catilin's eyes flicked between them, 'very curious.'

'Do you have any idea what this is about Cat?' Joey studied her for a moment.

'I'm not sure, there's something... but it feels like I can't touch it.'

'Maybe we're just reading too much into this.' Serenity's eyes glanced towards the door for a moment. 'Hey, where's Tristan? Shouldn't he be back by now?'

* * *

Tristan couldn't believe his friends were ignoring him in a time of crisis. It felt like such a deep betrayal it was all he could do to stop himself from punching the walls of the corridor he was stalking along. The feeling of dread in his gut knotted over a few times, half fuelling his anger, half telling him there was a reason his friends were ignoring him. But Tristan couldn't... wouldn't believe the reason they'd been so cold towards him was because they genuinely couldn't see or hear him. How could he believe that when it would mean...? He wasn't totally sure what it would mean; just that he didn't like it.

The sound of footsteps approaching him, made him stop dead in his track. Convinced his friends had finally decided they'd taken the joke a little too far, he turned round and waited for them. Unfortunately for him the footsteps belong to two strange girls. One dressed in a casually smart dress, the other only barely appeared to be wearing any clothes at all. A deep groan rested in the back of Tristan's throat; just when he was hoping his day couldn't get any weirder...

'What do you think he'll do if we don't find him soon?' The under dressed girl pressed herself against the other and battered her eyelashes. 'Do you think they'll be big trouble?'

'Get off me Slut.' The other girl pushed her away. 'Don't touch me. You know I can't stand it when you touch me.'

'No need to be such a spoil sport Prophet.' The Slut pressed herself close again. 'What, are you afraid you're gonna like it?'

'Get off me! You're sick you know that?'

'Well with such generosity of spirit like that you're not getting rid of me now.'

'You what!'

'If you can't be nice to me, then I'm not going to return the favour and be nice back.'

'Eugh, I don't know why your allowed to exist, I really don't. We're here looking for the Boy, so keep your mind on the task.'

'So will there be trouble if we don't find him then?'

'Why ask questions you already know the answer to?' Prophet glared at her. 'Stop acting like some kind of naive bimbo, I know you better than that, remember?'

'I'm just having a little fun. You know, like the good old times.'

'I can't believe I'm stuck with you. Now get off me before I really do repeat the _good_ _old_ _times_.'

The Slut giggled and released her grip on the Prophet. Her eyes then turned towards Tristan. A shocked look spread across her face as she came to a sudden stop.

'What's your problem now Slut?'

'Err... Prophet, I thought you said no one could see us.'

'No one can, why?'

'I'm pretty sure he can.' The Slut pointed towards Tristan.

'But…' the Prophet followed her gaze. 'It's just not possible.' Her eyes locked with Tristan's. 'You can't see us, can you?'

'Would it make any difference what I said at this point?' He shook his head in confusion.

'It's just not possible,' the Prophet's words came out in slow bursts, 'you shouldn't be able to see us.'

'Why not?'

'Because we don't have solidarity here. I made sure we didn't have solidarity here. It was the only way I felt comfortable coming since we weren't here on official business.'

'Huh?'

'You shouldn't be able to see us right now, because right now we don't exist on the same level as you. None of our kind do under normal circumstances.'

'So how come I can see you?' Tristan frowned.

'I don't know.'

'Maybe the Boy has something to do with this,' the Slut snaked her way towards him. 'I mean it is his style, right?'

'No, no the Boy wouldn't pull that one off again.' The Prophet shook her head. 'He knows better than that now.'

'Oh no he doesn't Prophet. Just because you've managed to control him does not mean he doesn't still have it in him.'

'Ca pa Slut.' The Prophet gritted her teeth. 'I won't have you talking that way about the Boy. I know he has his past, but he's changed. He wouldn't try the whole Status Swap thing again. Not after last time. He might be in some kind of trouble, but he can't... I won't believe...'

'Err... would you mind telling me what's going on?' Tristan interrupted her, feeling more than a little lost.

'Tell me,' the Slut twisted herself around him, 'have you spoken to anybody recently? Apart from me and the Prophet that is.'

'Well no,' Tristan attempted to prise the Slut off of him, 'but only because my friends are giving me the silent treatment.'

'Oh and just why were they doing that?'

'I'm not sure,' he tried to suppress the feelings of anxiety rising within him, 'but I've just had one of those days were everyone keeps zoning out on me.'

'Really? Why don't you tell us about it?'

'I don't know,' Tristan squirmed, 'could you please get off me?'

'Not making you uncomfortable, am I?' The Slut giggled. 'You don't have a girlfriend, do you?'

'Well not quite, but there is this girl I like and she's not too far away from here and…'

'Was she one of the ones giving you the silent treatment?'

'Yes but…'

'Prophet there is no doubt in my mind this boy has fallen victim to a Status Swap.' The Slut smirked at her.

'I refuse to believe he would have fallen back on his old ways so quickly,' the Prophet shook her head.

'You wouldn't! You're as fond of him as he is of you. Well mai catana, you'd better start believing, because he is just as much a product of his creation as the rest of us. And what is it you're always saying about none of us being able to help what we are?'

'Ca pa Slut, don't you dare use my own words against me.'

'Err... ladies...' Tristan managed to prise the Slut off of him and took several steps away, 'I'm not sure I totally follow what's going on here, so just to clarify things for me, what the hell is a Status Swap?'

'Well it's a twofold thing,' the Prophet folded her arms, 'first a being like us has to link minds with one of your kind...'

'There are only a few people each of us can do that with,' the Slut interrupted. 'We may have come from the same source, but our brain patterns are unique to each of us; the product of our creation. So our individual compatibility on that count is limited.'

'Ca pa Slut, I'm the one doing the explaining here. As I was saying, a mental link has to be established with one of your kind then…'

'Hey, aren't you gonna tell him what that kind of link can do?' The Slut again interrupted. 'If you won't then I will. It's important for him to know; especially if one of his friends is involved. You see the link allows us to gain a manipulative control over the person's mind. Which in short means if we say jump, they say how high and off where. In the wrong hands that can be quite dangerous. The Boy in particular has a notorious past in those regards.'

'For the last time Slut ca pa, I'm talking here.' The Prophet gave a heavy sigh and turned her attention back to Tristan. 'Once the link has been established we need to steal the solidarity of one of your kind in order to become visible on the same level of existence your kind exist on. But that does mean the individual whose solidarity we've taken is shifted into our level of existence. In other words you switch places.'

'Is that what you're saying has happened to me?' A part of Tristan felt as though he was accepting what they were telling him far too easily. 'That this Boy has stolen my solidarity?'

'Yes, it's more than possible. But it also means you can't be the one the Boy has forged a mental link with. See in order to maintain the link the one we're connected to can't become aware of it.'

'I see...'

'There's still a little bit more you should know.' The Slut curled her arms around his neck. 'See in the same way we can't establish a mental link with just anyone, the same goes for the solidarity switching. You have to be of a particular... type and the most suitable of that type in close proximity. To say _a type_ is incorrect, there are technically three types you could be and...'

'Ca pa Slut,' the Prophet's words sounded a little dry as her eyes began to examine Tristan carefully, 'all he needs to know is that he has to be of a particular type. His Realm is still Disconnected; we can't risk leaking too much.'

'The bad feeling I've been getting in my stomach all day...' Tristan gripped the material above his stomach, 'does that have something to do with this?'

'What?'

'It doesn't matter,' Tristan shook his head, 'I've just been feeling a little paranoid recently, that's all. Tell me something; this Boy you're looking for, does he have a kind of scruffy appearance to him?'

'Yeah, I'd say that sounded about right.' The Slut's lips pushed into a smile. 'You've seen him I take it?'

'Yeah, he was with a friend of mine, Duke.'

'And what happened when you saw them?'

'Well Duke totally ignored me, but the kid, with just one look, froze me to the spot. He gave me the creeps.'

'I know you don't want to hear it Prophet, but it sounds to me like he's up to his old tricks again.' The Slut gave a heavy sigh, before pressing herself closer to Tristan. 'Tell me, where was the Boy taking your friend?'

'I'm not sure. Things have been kinda crazy for me today and my concern wasn't so much where they were going as it was getting help.'

'That's understandable.' The Slut ran her fingers down the side of his face.

'Well it looks like we're going to have to work together,' the Prophet sighed. 'We need the Boy back and I'm pretty sure you want your solidarity back. So tell me, what's your name?'

'I'm Tristan and are your names really the Slut and the Prophet?'

'Actually I was originally referred to as the Muse,' the Slut's eyes studied him closely for a few moments. 'The Prophet and I were made to work together and in her infinite affection towards me she decided to start calling me the Slut. Isn't that right?' Her gaze turned towards her companion.

'You're nothing more than a parasite.' The Prophet roughly yanked the Slut away from Tristan. 'It was a joke to call you a Muse to begin with. You've never been a muse; your morals have always been far too loose.' She turned her attention towards Tristan. 'I must apologise for her behaviour, I'm afraid she doesn't know when no means NO. She gets like that, it's _disgusting_. But it's also not exactly her fault. It's the way the Original designed her, although I can't really tell you more than that.'

'Oh nuts, you could say as much as you like. You just don't want to waste the time, do you mai catana?' The Slut narrowed her gaze on the Prophet.

'Ca pa Slut, if the Boy really is up to his old tricks, we don't really have the time to waste.'

'Ven solues mai catana, sai vono?'

'What on earth does that mean?' Tristan was starting to feel like a headache would be a refreshing change.

'It doesn't matter,' the Prophet shrugged, 'it's not important right now anyway.'

This time when the feeling of dread started pulling at his stomach, Tristan at least knew what was causing it. The thought of having to work with this pair would be enough to send a deep feeling of dread into the pit of everyone's stomach and the headache he felt would be a nice change began seeping into his brain.

'For crying out loud, can't you two just stop your petty squabbling for one minute,' Tristan massaged his temples, 'you guys have just given me a lot of information and I'm not sure I've fully processed it yet.'

'Look the only part of it you need to worry about is helping us get the Boy back.' The Prophet pulled herself up to her full height. 'To do that we need for you to communicate with your friends; now the Boy is solid we're going to need their help to deal with him. So, tell me, where are your companions?'


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

It had been a full week since Simüte's disappearance and the heads of the second houses had been on Lillyannu's back almost non-stop about replacing him with his sister. But that would mean robbing another house of its heir, something Lillyannu was not comfortable in doing. Besides she still held out the slimmest of hopes Simüte would return to them. She couldn't explain how or why she believed it; all she really knew was that she did.

In the long hours since Simüte had disappeared, Lillyannu had found herself seeking the almost continuous comfort of Yoam. But the comfort was as hollow as it was joyless, serving only as a means by which to get out the demons plaguing her soul.

'Yoam I believe my people domed,' tears brimmed behind her eyelashes. 'My best friend is missing in action and I'm still no closer to deciphering the meaning of my moment of clarity. I'm a terrible, terrible Ashmar and I have no idea what I'm doing.'

'You're not a terrible Ashmar Lilly; if you were I don't think Simüte would have...'

'Would have what?'

'I... I think he knew what your moment of clarity meant and didn't want to bring shame to your house by telling you.'

'Oh Simüte, where are you?' Lillyannu's face creased with despair.

'I wish I knew.'

'Well then allow me to tell you.' A sinister voice sounded from behind him.

They turned to see the white haired sorcerer stood in the doorway of the room. He was now adorned with an open, thick red robe and he held himself with arrogant contempt.

'Hello Pharaoh, missing your friend are we?' He smirked. 'Well I can tell you the wolf made a surprisingly powerful addition to my force. And you know what; he wasn't the only thing I managed to acquire.' He pulled the Millennium Ring out from the sleeve of his robe.

'How... how did you manage to get hold of that?' Yoam gritted his teeth. 'Tell me.'

'Well if you're going to give such powerful pieces of Reama Technology to people who cannot even begin to comprehend their power then their loss is only to be expected.' He lifted his arm in a way to reveal a strange gold cuff on his right wrist. 'Turns out it's not just the Silkoneons who's souls can be offered up to the game,' a dark chuckle rolled out of him, 'and it gets better. Did you know there's a way of taking their soul without also capturing their body? A soulless body is so easy to kill.'

'You monster!'

'I know. But I'm afraid there is very little you can do about it. And trust me; I'm not even half as evil as my brother. He is the true master of this game; I am just his greatest and most powerful ally.'

'We will find a way to stop you,' Lillyannu growled, 'both of you. I don't care how long it takes; we will stop you.'

'It'll amuse me to watch you try,' the sorcerer's lips curled into a cruel smile. 'In the mean time I believe there are six more of these left to collect,' he waved the Millennium Ring around for a moment, before placing it around his neck. 'I shall take great pleasure taking them one by one, leaving you and your cousin for last, of course.'

'I'll warn them. They won't be so easy for you to defeat if you no longer have the element of surprise.' Yoam almost automatically clasped his hands around his puzzle.

'You really think surprise was the only thing your pathetic minion had going against him?' The Sorcerer laughed. 'I told you, you shouldn't give these trinkets to those who don't comprehend their full power. Your cousin is a genius of Reama Magic and Technology, he might prove a worthy ally if we can get him to shake his loyalty to you.'

'Tao is my family, he will never betray me.'

'We'll see.'

Without saying another word, the white haired sorcerer turned around and walked away. Yoam began to pace in frustration, completely unable to look at Lillyannu as he did.

'I know he's your family Yoam, but I don't trust Tao.' Lillyannu broke the silence. 'He bears his father's curse.'

'Why are you and Simüte so convinced there's a darkness within him?' Yoam gritted his teeth. 'He's loyal to me. He's always been loyal to me. I don't think he knows how to be anything else.'

'His loyalty bears the mark of insanity and insanity was his father's curse.'

'Lilly...'

'I'm sorry Yoam, but I just want you to be prepared.'

'I will not have you speak about Tao this way; I'm tired of it. I have faith in him and you both need to trust my judgement.'

'Both of us aren't here to trust your judgement though, are we?' Lillyannu half turned away from him. 'And now between the two of us we have an unsettling task to undertake; a darkness which threatens both of our worlds to defeat. Trust your cousin if you must, but don't expect me to.'

'I have to warn the others.' Yoam made his way towards the door. 'They have to know what's happened and that they've been threatened.'

'Okay, protect your men. I might hate Reama Technology with everything in me, but I'd much rather it was in the hands of your men than theirs.'

* * *

Despite the defining voices Simüte kept fighting the empty darkness and moving forward. It felt like a lifetime had passed and he was still no closer to escape than he'd been to begin with. A part of him was starting to doubt his encounter with the Mistress of Light. Why would a being so powerful have so much faith in him to do a task many before had proven impossible. There was no escape from this place and despair was quickly making him immobile.

Just as he felt ready to give up a bright light shone into his face. His vision blurred and for a second everything swam in a disorientating manner. When his mind settled he found himself filled with a deep sense of intrigue. The intrigue led him forward. The voices quietened. The world of despair he'd fallen into receded and hope returned to his being. The closer he got to the light the more he was able to see. In the world beyond the darkness was a small, simply decorated room and a stone tablet with the image of a monster on it. The closer to the centre of the light he got the more of the room he could see. A single cloaked figure stood behind the tablet, no one else was in sight and Simüte now had a good view of the door which would lead out of the room and to his freedom. Instinct told him this was his chance; if he were going to escape it was now or never.

Energy filled his body like never before. Without hesitation... without thinking... his legs began to pound against the ground. He ran. He ran and he ran. He ran faster and harder than he'd ever run before. This was his chance and he was going to escape.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

'You lost it? I go off and fetch this trinket for you and you lose our most powerful acquisition?' He glared at his companion. 'How stupid are you?'

'We both knew there was something about that one Baraku,' the other glared back at him, 'I dare say we were lucky to keep him under control as long as we did.'

'That's what you're giving me Hamen? I just told the Pharaoh you were the one he should be afraid of and you can't even keep one mangy little wolf under control.'

'How dare you speak to me like that,' Hamen struck him hard across the face, 'remember your place.'

'Remember yours,' Baraku struck him back just as hard. 'You're only our leader because of an advantage of birth, but it is _my_ brother's plan we follow.'

'No, it is our _brothers'_ plan.' Hamen half snarled at him. 'Both of our brothers were present when it was formed, don't forget that.'

'You'll never be the leader my brother could have been.' Baraku stood toe to toe with Hamen, their eyes locked. 'Your brother drove my brother into madness.'

'And your brother killed mine.'

For a heartbeat the tension between them filled the room with a deep sense of foreboding. Then a smirk turned up the corner of Baraku's lips and Hamen let out a dark chuckle. Their families had been linked together for generations, but it was the shared curse of their brothers which brought the two of them together. Their relationship stood on an awkward border somewhere between friendship and bitter rivalry. It was how things had been between them from the beginning and how things would always be. It was a strange kind of familiarity which turned them into brothers.

'You need to bring the wolf back into the fold,' Baraku pulled away from him.

'And you need to collect the other six items,' Hamen folded his arms.

'Oh I will,' his eyes glinted darkly, 'don't you worry about that.'

* * *

The messenger had arrived just as Yoam had finished warning his cousin about the threat against the holders of the Millennium Items. The messenger himself was the same boy he'd faced in a match not so long ago. The youth's face was filled with such a serious expression as he delivered his message Yoam couldn't help but feel once again impressed by him. After all, the weight of his message was worth more than anyone could possibly comprehend.

'Are you sure?' Yoam held his gaze.

'Yes sir, the whole kingdom is a buzz with it.' The boy nodded. 'I wasn't there myself, but I was told by a guy who was. He was the opponent you see, said his eyes nearly popped out of his head when it happened. It finished the match just like that. No one could keep going and the screams could be heard for miles. It was chaos; I saw that, you know the chaos. That's how I found out something had happened. So I asked one guy who led me to another guy, who led me to _the_ guy and he told me. As soon as I knew what had happened I thought I should tell you. I had a hard job trying to convince the guards of that though; I nearly didn't get through. But I was the one who knew what to say, so it couldn't have come from anyone but me. Oh, but now I must apologise as I'm being far too informal with you Pharaoh.'

'That's all right.' Yoam waved his hand dismissively. 'We've met before, haven't we?'

'Yes sir.'

'Your name its Nefer Ishtar, isn't it?'

'Yes sir and I'm honoured that you remember me.'

'Thank you Nefer for bringing this to my attention; you were brave in the face of a situation which might have caused a lesser man to become immobile or worse. One day I shall reward you for your courage and cunning. But for now, I must see to my kingdom.'

'Yes sir, of course sir, I'll leave right away.' Nefer bowed deeply before shuffling his way back down the corridor.

As he disappeared from sight, Yoam could hear the murmuring of obnoxious comments exchanged between Neffer and the guards. For a moment a strange smile pulled across his face, in so many ways Neffer was a lot like a young Simüte. His friend had also found the palace guards a cause for sharp wit and ungrateful banter. Thoughts about his old friend brought Yoam's attention back to the information Neffer had just given him. If what the boy was telling him was true then...

A movement in the silence of the corridor caught his attention. Turning he saw a large silver wolf stalking its deadly path towards him. Upon reaching him the wolf stopped then, like an obedient dog, lay down at his feet. The yellow of his eyes went up to meet with Yoam's.

'Hello there,' a small but fearless smile pulled across Yoam's face.

In response the wolf wagged his tail.

'What is it you want?'

The wolf's tail stopped wagging and it continued to hold the Pharaoh's gaze. After a few moments it began to whimper. A strange feeling of familiarity pushed its way through Yoam and his mouth felt strangely dry.

'Simüte...?'

The wolf's tail began to wag like mad and he howled with the appreciation of being recognised. Unfortunately his howling also brought the guards rushing in. Taken aback by the sight of the wolf at their Pharaoh's feet, they drew their swards.

'It's alright, I can handle this myself,' Yoam told his guards dismissively. 'Return to your posts.'

Confused, but unwilling to incur the wrath of their Pharaoh, the guards did as they were told.

'I think my friend we're going to have a bit of a communication problem if you stay as you are.' Yoam examined the wolf carefully. 'Would it not be more useful if you were to turn yourself back to normal Simüte?'

The wolf whined in response and stared pleadingly up at his friend.

'Are you trying to tell me you can't turn back?'

The wolf sighed and lowered its gaze.

'I'll take that as a yes.' He thought for a moment. 'Does Lilly know you're back? Maybe she can help.'

Simüte got up, wagged his tail joyfully and made to leave.

'Wait!' Yoam held a hand out to stop him. 'Just give me a few minutes and I'll come with you.'

* * *

It was the last thing in the world she'd ever expected to see as she sat watching the quiet dessert sand from the tranquil privacy of her room. At first she wasn't sure why Yoam would put himself at so much risk, then her heart skipped several beats and joy flooded through her entire system. Not caring who saw her, she ran full pelt through the palace and out towards them. She threw her arms around the wolf and hugged him till her whole being ached with unshed tears of joy. Never in her life had she ever been as happy as she was in this one moment.

'I don't believe it. I just don't believe it.' She pulled herself away from the wolf in order to examine him for a moment. 'How'd you do it Yoam, how'd you break him free?' Her eyes turned towards him.

'I didn't, he broke himself free. I think.'

'Oh Simüte, I've missed you so much.'

The wolf wagged his tail and affectionately licked her.

'I think he might be stuck as a wolf.' Yoam sounded nervous.

'Stuck? Really?' Lillyannu frowned. 'Simüte is that right?'

The wolf whimpered.

'I see. Well there's no problem too big it can't be solved somehow, right? We'll just have to figure this one out; unfortunately I can't guarantee how long that will take.'

The wolf made a few more noise and Lillyannu nodded back at him.

'Mm, I understand.'

'Wait, you actually know what he's saying?'

'Of course Yoam, Simüte taught me how to speak wolf.' Lillyannu gave a half laugh. 'Just like his father taught mine. It's an age old tradition in our families.'

'I see,' Yoam hesitated for a moment. 'I think... I think now might be the best moment for you to ask him what your vision meant.'

'Can't that wait?'

'He doesn't have the courage to do it as a human, but maybe like this... because he's not actually using human words... it won't feel like he's going against tradition.'

'I see what you mean,' Lillyannu's gaze met with the wolf's. 'Alright Simüte, tell me, what does my vision mean?'

* * *

As soon as the wolf had finished his explanation, Lillyannu caught hold of Yoam's arm and began dragging him full pelt across the desert. The silver wolf raced along behind them as they moved so fast it almost felt like they were flying. After a half hour race across the desert, Lillyannu brought them to a stop outside a large temple-like building with the emblem of a bird above the main entrance.

'This is the Great Library of Ode.' Her voice was soft and sombre. 'It is one of the three temples dedicated to Fray, god of the sky, the written word, the spoken word and the enchanted word. If we are to restore Simüte to his former self, Yoam, then we must first acquire for ourselves the ancient knowledge with in these walls. I understand if you do not feel comfortable entering a temple belonging to a god your people do not worship, but I can tell you, with some assurance, that all gods worshipped by all people are the same, we just name them differently. If you still do not wish to enter you may sit on the steps until we are done.'

'If we are here to help Simüte then I feel compelled to enter in order to help you.'

'That's good.' Lillyannu smiled at him. 'Come, let us go in.'

The Great Library was grandly decorated and filled with scrolls from top to bottom. The emblem of the bird from the front of the building was used as a golden border around the top of the room and as a large floor mosaic. The beauty of the place was immense and Yoam found himself in awe of it. As Yoam stood there taking it all in, Lillyannu glided gracefully along from shelf to shelf, pulling down numerous numbers of scrolls. Once her arms were too full to carry anymore she called for Yoam to follow her and led him into a small side chamber. In comparison to the rest of the library the room they now found themselves in was simply decorated. It contained nothing more than a desk and a few chairs.

Lillyannu dumped the scrolls down onto the table and indicated to Yoam to join her.

'I trust you can read in Ode,' she studied him for a moment, 'only I'd rather not have to turn it into hieroglyphs. Unlike Simüte, I've always thought the hieroglyphic writing of your people far too fanciful so I never learned it properly.'

'Simüte did teach me a little once, many years ago, so I will try.'

'Good,' just then the wolf entered. 'Ah Simüte, you can help us too, can't you?'

'But he's a wolf now.'

'He can still read. Wolf or not, he's still Simüte. Now we don't have time to waste gossiping.' Her gaze met with the wolf's. 'Simüte, kayma salto, yie ti.' She then turned her attention towards the Pharaoh. 'Yoam, I want you to look for anything that might help us get Simüte back to his normal self and I'll see if there is any written text which might help us defeat those wicked men. We've got a lot of texts to get through and there's no time like the present to get started so…'

'Let's get on with it then.'

In comparison to his own written language, Ode was surprisingly easy to read. There were fewer symbols for one thing and it was set out more clearly on the page, or at least Yoam thought so. Then again he disagreed with Lillyannu's comment about hieroglyphics being too fanciful; truth was Ode was just simplistic in comparison.

Most of what Yoam read was completely useless; a lot of dribble on the nature of incantations and the risks involved with the fluidic art. He also noticed a lot of the texts he was reading predated the Silkoniousmacarmakayeon people, so were in themselves completely pointless for the task at hand. Still he continued relentlessly in his search and, after nearly an entire afternoon's work, his efforts were sweetly rewarded.

'I found it, I found it.'

'Calm down Yoam,' Lillyannu's gaze flicked up towards him, 'what did you find?'

'It's an incantation of some kind I think, the Ode's a little off in places in this scroll so it might be an old text and maybe completely useless but...'

'But?'

'It suppose to have the power needed to set the trapped free of forms which bind them.'

'Forms which bind...' a slim smile pulled across Lillyannu's face. 'That sounds about right, let me see.' She took the scroll off him. 'Yes, yes it makes sense that would work. Simüte,' she turned her gaze towards the wolf, 'your misque has been heightened, tell me, when does the moon next wax full?'


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

It was a crystal clear night and the moon shone brightly in its fully rounded disk. Lillyannu stood alone, adorned in silk robes so finely made they shimmered like the moonlight itself. Around her several Odraian priests from the great library, well versed in the mystical teachings, drew the four circles of the Huntay in the sand. The chanting of lilted voices echoed out of all them as they completed their work.

Yoam was stood to one side of the action watching with child-like fascination. He'd only ever heard his Silkoneon friends talking about the Huntay before; he'd never actually seen it. The outermost circle contained the eight symbols of the Odraian gods. The circle below that contained eight more symbols representing what Lillyannu had called the Elementals. In the final circle before the one the queen herself stood in were eight coloured stones and a ninth stone was held by Lillyannu.

Despite Lillyannu's explanations, Yoam barely understood anything he was seeing. He knew the Huntay was also called the Ring of the Gods and that his friend was calling upon their power to turn Simüte human again. He knew the chanting and the stones all had their own power as well as a deep religious importance. He also knew there was no guarantee this ceremony of theirs would work, but the ins and outs, the whys and the hows eluded him.

Once everything was ready Lillyannu indicated that Simüte the wolf should stand above the symbol representing Sta, their moon god. The priests then took positions above the other seven god symbols and continued with their quiet chanting.

'Ven tyeloh sai mai gon marck moonoh paig ruc.' Lillyannu's voice rose above theirs. 'Ven tyeloh zes igua mai glea catana. Ven tyeloh tarno sa dros nones fait Sta, zooh tah hicet. Ven tyeloh tarno sa dros nones fait Du, zooh ven hicet. Ven tyeloh tarno marck dros hiet loust fait mai amou. Du, Sta ven baiasee sai zes cohho tarno zes se,' at these words the other eight stones also began glowing. 'Marck Simüte ven asha tarno fahvah.'

'Marck Simüte ven asha tarno fahvah.' The priests echoed her words.

Yoam felt as though the breath were being sucked out of him as the eight stones began to hover in the air. The sheer level of power they were emitted rolled its way through everything and caused the glow of the stones to brighten.

'Marck Simüte ven asha tarno fahvah.'

'Marck Simüte ven asha tarno fahvah.'

The call and response between queen and priests continued until the glow of the stones was so bright it was impossible to see what was going on. Only the chanting remained, growing in volume almost to a fever pitch until, eventually, Lillyannu's voice shouted above all others.

'Ven tyeloh yie kesta.'

Without warning the stones dropped with a simultaneous thud to the ground. They were now as dull and lifeless as when they had been when the ritual started. For a few moments Yoam wasn't totally sure what it was he was seeing, then a huge grin spread its way across his face. Stood in the site previously occupied by a large silver wolf was a very pleased and very human looking Simüte.

* * *

Tristan hesitated outside of the door he knew the others were behind because he suddenly had a great dilemma on his hands. If his new companions were lying to him and the others were able to see him and them when he entered he would have a lot of rather embarrassed explaining to do. If on the other hand they were telling the truth and the others really couldn't see him then that would mean a whole other world of trouble. Still, whether they could see him or not, Duke was definitely in some kind of danger. No matter what his feelings were towards the guy, he would never forgive himself for not at least trying to help.

Taking a deep breath Tristan entered the room with the girls on his heels. His entrance went unmarked by the others. For a second he found himself gripping the material over his stomach as strange feelings swirled within him. He wasn't disappointed exactly, but his heart did fall and he gave a deep sigh.

'Don't worry,' the Prophet placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, 'if anyone knows how to get them to at least to hear you it's me.'

'Hey,' the Slut curled her way around Tristan's other arm, 'I know at least as much as you do, you know. There's no way I'm letting you take all the credit for this. We are a team, always.'

The Prophet sighed, shook her head and took a good look around the room. Her gaze lingered first on Yugi, then on Joey and finally on Catilin. A glint of recognition appeared and, for once, she turned her own attention towards the Slut.

'Isn't she…'

'One of our favourite Hockey Hosts,' the Slut laughed, 'I do believe she is. Which must mean there's something very special about you,' she half whispered into Tristan's ear, 'I mean, for you to be chosen over her...'

'Ca pa Slut, I've already warned you about telling him too much.' The Prophet glared at her. 'And you do remember I hate the term Hockey Host, right? It's neither the proper name nor a just description.'

'Everything always has to be so proper with you.' The Slut rolled her eyes. 'Calicaccu is such an Etean word. We don't have to use Etean anymore Prophet. We haven't had to use it for a long time.'

'There are certain things it should still be used for and in my opinion Calicaccu is much more elegant.'

'And by that you mean harder to say.' The Slut poked her tongue out. 'Come on, you know the others agree with me, Hockey Host is much more fun.'

'Err, what are you on about now?' Tristan could feel another headache coming on.

'A Hockey Host, or Calicaccu as the Prophet prefers, is the descendent of a Desmitus. Most of the time there's nothing special at all about them, but occasionally they are more sensitive to the energies around them. I guess in your terms you'd call them a medium or a psychic and in your world that's probably all they would be. But those who know a little more of the truth often offer up their bodies to our kind and the dead in order to play messenger.'

'Does that mean we can use her to talk to the others?'

'No,' the Prophet shook her head, 'the problem with Calicaccus is that their heighten senses often weaken their sanity. She's been played with too much over the last few years and we've been warned to leave her be. That's probably the reason the Boy chose you instead.'

'Oh pish,' the Slut folded her arms, 'the Boy wouldn't care less about a thing like that; he probably wouldn't have even realised it was her to begin with. It's more likely he chose Tristan because Tristan was on his own and she was with the others.'

'So why were you suggesting otherwise?'

'A girl's allowed a little fun Prophet.'

'So how exactly are we going to talk to them?' Tristan began massaging his temples, wishing someone other than these two girls could see him.

'We have a few options.' The Prophet tilted her head in thought. 'I'm just not sure which one is best yet.'

'Well we don't have all day, so any time you feel like telling us your decision would be great,' the Slut half smirked.

'And I'm making the decision here because...?' The Prophet cocked an eyebrow at her. 'I thought you knew at least as much as me about this stuff.'

'I do.'

'So then why is it up to me to decide?'

'Because.'

'Because why?'

'Because you're the brains and I'm the fun, remember?'

'I really don't know why I bother talking to you sometimes.'

'As if you have a choice.'

Tristan ran his fingers back through his hair and wished he could be anywhere but where he was at that moment in time. He was slowly reaching a point where death would be preferable to spending another second with the Slut or the Prophet. The thought of his own death caused something to shift inside his stomach. The feeling of dread rose again, taunting him with a strange and unnerving thought; _until things are right death is not an option_. Tristan wasn't exactly sure what the thought meant or why the feelings which surrounded it concerned him so much, but he did know there was more to it than just what was happening to his friends.

'How long is this decision going to take?' Tristan did his best to suppress the feelings and concentrate on the task at hand. 'Only I don't think we have a lot of time to waste here. Not if what you guys have been telling me is right.'

'I think I've got it,' the Prophet's eyes rose to meet with his, 'so don't worry, it won't be long until everything is right again.'

* * *

The first thing Joey felt was a numb tingling in his right arm, followed by a muffled voice asking.

'Are you sure this is going to work?'

'What was that?' Joey stared around in confusion.

'What was what Joey?' Catilin frowned at him.

'I'm not sure,' he shuddered, 'but I swear I just heard a voice.'

Before anyone had a chance to ask him anything else the tingling sensation returned to his right arm. His arm then moved of its own accord, rising until it was level with the left side of his chest. Once there he felt the strong grip of someone else's hand clasping his own.

'Hey Joey can you hear me?' A familiar voice sounded.

'Tristan?' Joey found himself blinking repeatedly as he stared into the blank space in front of him.

'Joey what's going on?' Serenity stared at her brother.

'I... I think Tristan might be standing in front of me.' The words sounded strange as they came out of his mouth.

'Huh?'

'Grip his hand,' Catilin's voice was little more than a murmur. 'Grip his hand it'll project his voice. If he's really there we'll all be able to hear him too.'

Joey did as he was told and was surprised at how solid the invisible hand beneath his felt.

'Tristan?' Catilin's gaze turned towards the empty space in front of Joey. 'Are you there?

'It's me.' Tristan's voice sounded a little warped around the edges, but there was no denying it was his.

'Tristan, what happened to you?' Joey gritted his teeth, suddenly sensing some serious trouble.

'Something called a Status Swap, I think. I don't know; I've kind of had an information overload. But I do know this has something to do with someone called the Boy.'

'Oh that's not good,' Catilin's eyes were wide as she shook her head. 'That's not good at all.'

* * *

The Prophet hadn't explained the mechanics behind how holding Joey's hand allowed him to be heard and, if he were being honest with himself, Tristan didn't really care. All he knew was doing so caused an unreal pulsing sensation throughout his entire body. He also found himself feeling more than a little perturbed at the way his friends were staring into the space he occupied. A shudder ran the length of his spine as he tried to focus on what really mattered.

'Tell me Tristan,' Catilin tilted her head in thought, 'how do you know what a Status Swap is?'

'I told you I don't. Well not really.' He gave a heavy sigh. 'I'm... not alone here. The pair I'm with gave me some of the basics, but it's all been a real headache if you ask me.'

'Who are you with?'

'Well they... they call themselves the Prophet and the... err...'

'And the Slut.' Catilin's eyes gleamed with a pleased recognition of the names. 'Ah yes, well that makes some sense. They would be the ones called in if anything was happening with the Boy.'

'Okay, before we go any further, can we get some explanation as to what a Status Swap is?' Joey glanced towards Catilin. 'I know it's a hassle to have to explain things, but I get the feeling it's important we all understand.'

'Okay,' Catilin nodded. 'Well its easy really, it's all to do with levels of existence. You see, the level we exist on is known as the Solid Level and our status is therefore known as solidarity. But people like the Slut and the Prophet can exist on more than one level, but only if they're given permission by the First. Their normal Status Level is Ansolid which means, like Tristan is now, they're there but they're not. Problems happen because each of them has the ability to switch status with one of us on the Solid Level without asking us or the First about it.' She pulled a face. 'There are certain things which affect the hows and whys, but they're a little harder to explain. And right now I'm more concern with the one Tristan's switched with.'

'You mean the Boy?' Tristan found himself studying Catilin for a moment.

'The Boy is one of the Nameless and a second leveller. That means he would have had to have made a link with someone else in order for a Status Swap to happen.'

'Yes, he has, with Duke,' Tristan felt a sudden sense of urgency, 'I've already seen them together. It was a while back, when I'd gone off searching for him, Duke totally blanked me, but the Boy... One look and he had me frozen to the spot. Once I got myself unstuck I came back here to get you guys to help or something, but you all ignored me. I guess that was because you couldn't see me, but I didn't know that at the time. I just thought you were trying to be funny. So I left again and that's when I came across the Prophet and the Slut.'

'Oh so _you_ were in here earlier,' Catilin clapped her hands once and giggled, 'that would have been the buzzing we all heard and why the door opened and shut on its own.'

'That's your revelation?' Tristan stared at her. 'That's the most important part about what I just said? Come on, I've just told you Duke is in danger. I know you've never met the guy, but would a little compassion kill you?'

'I'm sorry... it just felt like a logical step somehow.'

'Whatever,' he rolled his eyes, 'look, the Slut and the Prophet said we should split up to search for Duke. We'll cover more ground that way and I agree with them. This is a big airship and the two of them could be just about anywhere.'

'Well that makes sense. But what doesn't make sense is you having to do the hand holding thing. Here...' she dug into her pocket and took out a small black stone which she handed in his direction, 'you can let go of Joey now.'

Tristan took hold of the stone and let go of Joey's hand in almost the same movement. The second the cold stone touched him he felt something strange stir through the pit of his stomach. It was the same feeling of dread he'd been getting for a while now, only... only it felt stronger and more focused somehow.

'Tristan,' Catilin's gaze stared through him in a way which made him shudder, 'you should talk now.'

'What good will that do, you won't be able to hear me.'

'Yes we can Tristan.' Téa laughed.

'How...?'

Tristan's gaze turned down towards the stone; just what the hell was Catilin doing with something like this? Was she somehow responsible for the Boy being here? Was she controlling the Boy somehow? Was that the real reason he chose Tristan instead of her? His hand again gripped the material above his stomach as he urged the thoughts to go away. He didn't want to feel this suspicious of her, but the truth was he didn't know the first thing about her. And that... that could prove to be a major problem.

'Now the teams should be divided up as follows,' Catilin took charge of the situation before anyone else had the chance, 'Téa and Serenity in one team, you can search the lower decks. The Slut and the Prophet, if you can hear me, you can search the mid section. Me, Tristan and Joey will make up team three and we'll search the upper decks. Everyone clear on that?' She waited half a second for nods of agreement. 'Good, right,' she grinned, 'let's get going.'


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

'I suppose I should thank you Catilin.'

'For what Tristan?'

'For not putting me on the same team as the Slut and the Prophet. One more second with them and I think I would have been about ready to blow my brains out.'

'Yeah, well I know from experience they can be a bit of a trip, but at least they don't mess me up like some of the others do.'

'Just how bad are they?' Joey frowned.

'You don't want to know.' Tristan sounded less than enthusiastic.

'They're not all bad you know,' Catilin giggled. 'I mean I know the Prophet thinks she knows it all and the Slut has some serious personal space issues but... well the more you get to know them the more you realise they're strangely perfect.'

'I'm not sure perfect is the right word.'

'No, but I don't think there is a better word for them,' Catilin tilted her head in thought. 'They were made to be together, whether they realise it or not, because they are each other.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'It doesn't matter.'

'Does anything when it comes to you?'

'You know you've got a lot to say for an invisible boy Tristan.' Joey shot a look into the space his friend was supposed to occupy. 'I thought the expression was seen but not heard, not heard but not seen.'

'That's not funny!'

'I know I just felt like saying it.'

'You know you could act with a bit more dignity Joey,' Catilin teased, 'you've got a good name to uphold.'

'What Joey Wheeler's a good name all of a sudden?' Tristan gave a strange half laugh.

'Not Joey Wheeler you nimrod.' Joey pulled himself up and tried to make himself appear more important than he felt. 'She means Veronie Lutoni.'

'Not quiet,' Catilin shook her head, 'I just meant Lutoni.'

'Same difference.'

'Not really.' Catilin's face filled with a sad smile as she examined him for a moment. 'In some ways you're so like Simüte was at your age and in other ways you're just worlds apart. Maybe it's a generational thing, a reflection of the world's you've both come from but... Simüte was something special, even amongst the Lutoni. You're not him, but you're not so different.'

'If you don't mind me asking, how do you know what Simüte was like?' Joey frowned. 'I mean, he died thousands of years ago, right?'

'When someone is Khined they retain certain memories from their previous incarnation. What those memories are depends on what the first incarnation thinks their descendent will need.'

'I see, so why don't I have any memories from my Khine. I mean, I was Khined from this Simüte guy, right?'

'What does Khine mean anyway?' Tristan sounded almost bored.

'Genetically identical incarnation.' Joey frowned at his own sudden burst of knowledge. 'Well technically it's just identical incarnation; the genetic part has been added as a later correction. It's basically the bringing back or repetition of the body.

'I see... I think...'

'So why don't I have any of Simüte's memories?' Joey repeated his question.

'You've only just woken up,' Catilin sounded wistful, 'and you've been a sleep for a long time so it'll take a while for everything to come back to you. In time you'll remember whatever it was Simüte wanted to pass on to you. I'm sure it'll be wicked cool; Simüte really was something extraordinary. They all were, Lillyannu, Simüte and Yoam. A history that time forgot.' She lowered her gaze. 'Mercy me, sa santero sacactone.'

'Huh, what does that mean?'

'What the sa santero sacactone?'

'Yeah.'

'It kind of sounds like the strange language the Prophet and the Slut were speaking.' Tristan jumped in before Catilin could answer. 'I think they called it Etean.'

'And you understood it?' Joey cocked an eyebrow.

'No they speak English too,' Catilin gave an amused half laugh, 'and I suppose what I said would sound very similar. I'm not too sure what it means if I'm being honest. I've been trying to learn, but it's hard to teach yourself Etean on your own. I understand maybe half a dozen words in all three versions.'

'There's more than one version?'

'Well yes and no. The languages are all basically the same, but there are little colloquialisms and stuff which makes them unique. It's kind of like the difference between American English and English English. Or someone speaking the Queens English and someone speaking Cockney.'

'So that is actually an English accent you have then?' Tristan sounded curious. 'I mean, you really are from England?'

'You thought my accent was fake?'

'We know so little about you, I wasn't sure if there was more to it than that.'

'Well I really am from England.' Catilin tilted her head to one side. 'Our people got more than a little spread out after the Disconnection... So much was lost. It's almost a pity our generation won't be the one.'

'The one for what?'

'To bring it all back Tristan,' Joey lowered his gaze. 'Our generation won't be the one to bring it all back.'

* * *

The Boy was filled with excitement as he stared down at the world from the top of the airship. It was an infectious kind of excitement and one which made Duke feel as though he were seeing it all for the first time again himself. Every second he spent with the Boy made him feel more and more alive. It was an unbelievable strength and energy which he couldn't let go of, not now, not ever. But it was more than that. Because the more time he spent with the Boy the less he thought of him as just a part person. How could anyone think of him as a part person? This child might not have a name, but he was just as real and just as alive as anyone else Duke had ever met.

Not that anyone else mattered; his whole world was just him and the Boy now. And the Boy needed a name...

* * *

The Boy studied Duke as he darted from one side to the other. His excitement was genuine, but his motives were not. A slim and satisfied smile pulled at the corner of his lips. He knew exactly what Duke was thinking; just like he knew exactly what all of them had been thinking. It was strange how quickly it had all come back to him. The thoughts. The feelings. Every minor detail shone like liquid gold inside his mind. This was his true self. This was what he was. Maybe it wasn't what he was made to be, but it was what he was none the less.

Mischief stirred within him as he stared down towards the ocean below. The drop was like no other he'd ever seen before; so what would happen if someone were to fall over it. He giggled as very uninnocent thoughts began to dart about his head. It had been a long time since his true nature had stirred within him. Too long. This was going to be fun.

* * *

They had just been walking along the corridor adjacent to the one the Kaibas' rooms were in, when Mokuba darted past them. There was a panic stricken look on his face and Téa felt a strange sense of urgency run through her stomach. Without checking with Serenity she took off after him. It might be nothing, but if there was even the slightest chance it had something to do with Duke...

Téa couldn't afford to take any chances. It didn't matter if all her actions did was cause the Kaibas to become annoyed, it's not like they weren't always annoyed anyway. The only thing which mattered to her was the fact several of her friends were in trouble. If there was anything she could do to help even one of them then... then to hell with all the consequences. Her friends were the most important thing in the world to her and nothing would ever change that.

* * *

The Slut and the Prophet weren't having any luck in their search. Although they were both more than aware of what the Boy was capable of, the Slut found herself uncharacteristically the more concerned of the two. The Prophet had become almost too fond of the Boy in the time he'd been under her care. The Slut had no doubt it was the way he emulated her which appealed so much. After all, there was very little in the whole multiverse the Prophet loved more than someone or something which stroked her ego.

Well that wasn't totally true. The Slut would have done just about anything for the Prophet, but all she ever got from her was rejection. They were made to be together. That was supposed to mean something, but the Prophet just couldn't see past their differences.

'We're not going to be the ones to find him you know.' The Slut gave a heavy sigh. 'You sense it too, right?'

'Ca pa Slut, you don't know.'

'You're wrong; the problem is I do know.' The Slut turned her gaze away. 'Just like I know you'll never see me the way I see you.'

'Ca pa Slut.'

'You don't even listen to what I'm saying, do you?'

'I said Ca pa Slut, we need to keep looking for him.'

'But we're not going to be the ones to find him.'

'I don't care. This is our mission and...'

'You were made to always stay focused on the mission.' The Slut sighed again. 'And I was made to be with you.'

* * *

Mai had wanted to help the others with their search, but her body was still weak and tired from her fight against the shadows. Every movement she made took a huge amount of effort and left her feeling almost completely drained. Her eyes turned towards Yugi, it was her self-appointed mission to keep an eye on him until the others came back. If he woke up from his trance before they returned she would be able to explain most of what was going on to him. If he remained as he was till they got back at least he wouldn't be alone.

Alone. There was something scary about the word; something which made Mai's insides knot. She closed her eyes and tried to think back to her rescue. A lot of information had been flowing around her even whilst she'd been trapped in the evil Marik's hourglass. She knew she heard Joey and the mysterious Catilin talking, but the details were little more than a hazy fog in her mind. A small amount of envy seeped through Mai's being as she wondered how Catilin had managed to work herself into the group with so little effort. How could she command Joey's attention so totally when they barely even knew each other? Mai gave a heavy and resentful sigh before opening her eyes.

'Veronie,' she formed the word carefully in her mouth. 'Veronie. What does that even mean anyway?' She sighed. 'Joey... how can you be so close and feel like a million miles away...?'

Mai shook the thoughts from her head and refocused her attention on Yugi. There was dullness to his eyes as he appeared to stare off into some far distance place. A part of Mai wished she could see what he was seeing. Whatever memories or events were playing out before him must be truly fascinating to keep him away for so long. Keep him away. A shudder crept along Mai's spine at her own mental choice of words. It didn't matter how important the things Yugi was seeing were, right now he was far away from them and that didn't sit right with her.

'Yugi...' the word came out of her mouth like a breath, 'I don't know what it is you're going through, but we really need you to come back.'


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30 **

For the first time since Lillyannu had taken the throne the Carnitatan had been called to order. It was made up of the heads of the four Silkoniousmacarmakayeon leading houses, the Odraian king and his counsel of seven. These twelve people represented the two breeds linked by a shared past; they were brought together only when something concerned those two people. And, for the first time since the Carnitatan had been established, they were joined by a representative of the Standing race. In the midst of all the harshly staring eyes Yoam felt incredibly small. In comparison to them his people were still little more than infants and they were making certain he felt it.

'For what reason do you, a child of Silkoniousmacarmakay, bring a Standing before us?' The Odraian king's eyes narrowed on Lillyannu. 'This is an outrageous use of our time and hope to Set you can explain yourself to our satisfaction.'

'Calm please Tititanic, I assure you I've not taken leave of my senses; I called this meeting for a reason.'

'And I suppose he's it?' A female member of the Odraian counsel shot Yoam an icy cold stare.

'This concerns his people as much as it concerns ours.' Lillyannu remained calm. 'His being here is necessary if we're to find a solution to our mutual problem; to an enemy who threatens all of us. I have known this Standing since I was sixteen years of age and I know him to be like no other. He is not only trustworthy, but he may just be our only hope for survival.'

'On what grounds do you make this claim?' Roselann sounded less than convinced.

'I make this claim because I am an Ashmar. I make this claim because of my moment of clarity. I make this claim because I know with everything in me this man is the only hope we have. I make this claim because I refuse to stand by and watch as my people and the mother kind are lost forever. It's time we took action against those who threaten our very survival. And with this man behind us we will win.'

A murmur spread round the Carnitatan. It was clear they were trying to figure out the validity of Lillyannu's words. Their eyes re-examined Yoam several times. Every time they did he stood a little taller, made himself appear a little more regal and impressive. Yoam was a Pharaoh and Pharaohs knew how to command respect and convey whatever else was needed to gain the trust and admiration of a people.

'What is your name Standing?' Tititanic's booming voice silenced the murmuring.

'My name is Yoam and I am the Pharaoh of my people.' His voice was calm and commanding, exactly what it needed to be to get the right reaction from the Carnitatan.

'You wield a lot of power Pharaoh,' Tititanic's gaze narrowed on him, 'but if your own people are also under threat, why would you wish to help us?'

'Because the enemy of my enemy should be my friend. United we stand a better chance of defeating this evil which threatens to destroy both of our worlds.'

'Together we can be strong.' Lillyannu took his lead. 'Together we can defeat our enemy. Together…'

'I don't know,' Drazel interrupted, 'all this talk about defeating our enemies sounds an awful lot like fighting to me. In case you had forgotten mai sarn, we are a pacified people.'

'I know, but we don't have a choice here. Our enemy is driving us into battle whether we want to go into it or not. Together we must join forces with Yoam's people and fight for our freedom.'

A shockwave of noise filled the Carnitatan. It was clear none of them could believe what she was suggesting and from what Yoam knew of their two people he wasn't sure he could either. The noise simmered down into curious murmurs as Lillyannu moved from her seat to join Yoam in the centre of the auditorium they were in. Once there her eyes scanned round the others and a stilled silence fell across them all. Lillyannu may not have been a particularly tall woman, but she had the presence to command attention from others even by the most simple of gestures. It didn't take a genius to work out the very clear statement she was making; Lillyannu Ashmar was prepared to fight alongside Yoam no matter what the rest of them thought.

It wasn't long before Simüte joined them. Yoam did his best to keep his composure from turning into a smile of relief. There was still too much tension in the room to show anything other than a dignified and united front. After a few long antagonising moments a member of the counsel of seven got up from her seat and made her way down towards them. As soon as she'd reached their side the others started coming until only Drazel, Roselann and Tititanic remained in their seats.

'This is ludicrous.' Roselann folded her arms, 'you expect us to betray everything we believe in and help a Standing in a fight? If you were not my queen I would accuse you of lunacy. No, I take that back, you are insane.'

'I am surprised at you Roselann,' Lillyannu caught her gaze and held it, 'are you not a Chaosa? By ancient tradition are you not the protector of our people?'

'The guardian,' Simüte took over, 'the peace keeper. Just as I represent the soul of our people, Lillyannu their power and Drazel their heart, you represent the body. Heart, mind, body and soul; a kingdom can't run without them, a battle can't be fought if they don't work and move as one. Without the body and heart, the mind and soul are dead. Without the mind and soul, the heart and body are dead. Our lives are in the hands of everyone here. United we stand, parted we fall. WE ALL FALL!'

For the longest time Roselann remained where she was in the deepest of thoughts. Then, just as Yoam was about to give up on her, she gave a reluctant grunt and made her way towards them. She shot a single almost resentful look in the direction of Lillyannu and Simüte, before joining the others. Now all that remained in their way was Drazel and Tititanic.

Yoam had watched the Odraian king sit in silence as he'd allowed his council to abandon him one by one. Throughout the exchange with Roselann his expression had been unreadable and now Yoam was starting to have serious doubts about which side of the argument he would come down on. Just as he was about ready to appeal to Tititanic, one ruler to another, the Odraian king got to his feet. Everyone in the room appeared to hold their breath as they watched him silently make their way towards them. He then placed a hand on Yoam's shoulder and met his gaze with a steady one of his own. No words were needed, Tititanic was on their side.

'If it is the gods wish that we should perish then so be it.' Drazel's voice broke the tense silence of the room. 'Who are we to question divine nature?'

'You can't be serious?' Simüte stared at him. 'You would doom your people like that?'

'You would have us defy our nature so easily? You would turn us into creatures no better than the Standing just because you're afraid. We are at the mercy of the gods, all of us. If it is their will for us to perish then so be it.'

'It's not our nature which pacifies us or our religion which bans us from violent acts,' Lillyannu met his gaze, 'we as a people chose the path we follow. There is nothing written in any of the divine texts that tells us we cannot defend ourselves and the powers which drive our nature come from a violent history. We our pacifists because a group of Odraians realised the error of their violent ways and began teaching a new way of being. A way of being handed down for generations before our ancestors, the founders of our lines, were born. But the Odraians never forgot their violent past or the fact they choose to be pacified now. Just like we have never forgotten.'

'You're right; we choose to be pacified. We choose not to fight. We don't know how.'

'No, you're wrong, we do. From the first second we tap into our Elemental powers to the time of our deaths we have been trained to fight.'

'No, we have been trained to harness our abilities to help the community and ourselves. We have been trained to honour our gods with displays of power. We have been trained to see the beauty of our power. We have not been trained to fight. We have never been trained to fight.'

'You're wrong Drazel, the control we have over our powers...'

'Stop making excuses and admit the only reason you're even suggesting this is because you've given yourself to that... that Standing.' The venom in Drazel's voice was enough to catch everyone off guard.

The Carnitatan made an uncertain sway backwards and for the longest heartbeat there was silence.

'Do you accuse me of adultery against my husband?' Lillyannu laughed. 'The man whose children I've mothered. The man who has been at my side since my reign began. The man for whom I've forgone all others.'

'Why deny it?' Drazel held her gaze. 'I remember this Standing from when we first met. I remember the way you looked at each other then. The way you pull yourselves together now. What other conclusion would anyone draw but that?'

'Would you also accuse me of laying with Simüte then?' Lillyannu appeared strangely calm.

'What?'

'I will not deny I have a great affection for Yoam, but no more so than I have for Simüte. Are you saying I would see fit to sleep with any man I have affection for? Are you really saying I would betray our people and traditions like that? Or are you only making this accusation to cause the others to doubt my motives? Do you honestly believe I would sleep with a Standing or any man who was not my loving husband, just because I held them in high esteem?'

'I...' Drazel shook his head. 'But...'

'Do you really think so little of your own queen?'

'I...'

'I am surprised at you Drazel,' Lillyannu shook her head, 'of all people I would have hoped you'd think better of me.'

'I... I'm sorry my queen,' Drazel lowered his head, 'I guess... I guess I allowed my own wild thoughts to get away from me. Please... please forgive me.'

'Join us.'

'What?'

'Drazel Odray, if you are truly sorry for you accusation against me, join us. Actions speak louder than words and we can only defeat the evil if we stand together.'

'I…' he stammered, 'I… I mean, it would go against… I…'

He gave a heavy sigh and got to his feet. After hesitating for a few more moments he made his way towards them. When he was stood face to face with Lillyannu he gave a deep yet humble bow.

'Most gracious queen,' his voice was dry, 'I relent.'


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

'So, this Boy character, what exactly is he like?' Joey shot a look in Catilin's direction.

'You don't wanna know.' Her voice was quiet and her eyes glazed slightly as though she were remembering something painful. 'This is silly,' she shook her head, 'it's not my memory.'

'What's not?'

'The sadness of being a Calicaccu,' a forced smile appeared on her face, 'come on, we need to find Duke.'

'Are you ever going to give me a straight answer to anything?' Joey gave a disgusted sigh. 'I mean, I know you were a little bit... confused, when we were trying to rescue Mai, but that doesn't mean I don't still want to know everything you know. It's like this compulsion and you're feeding it by not telling me anything. Come on Cat; give me something to work with.'

'You sound like a little kid, you know that?' Tristan smirked. 'From what I could gather, this Boy is capable of something very dangerous, but I'm not sure what.'

'What exactly did the Slut and the Prophet say about him?' Joey frowned.

'Not a whole lot. Just that the Prophet believes he's changed from his old ways, but the Slut doesn't trust him even in the slightest.'

'Huh, the Prophet's not usually the blind one,' Catilin looked confused, 'then again the Boy does make her feel good about herself.'

'Because he stokes her ego?'

'You sound like the Slut.' Catilin giggled before tilting her head in thought. 'The Boy's history is somewhat murky, but I don't want to jinx things by telling you more. We need to find the Boy.'

'And we will.' Joey folded his arms with stubborn certainty. 'Do you think there's any point in checking the duelling arena on the top of this blimp?'

'You don't mean,' Catilin's eyes went wide with shock-horror, 'that it's possible for us to walk on top of this thing. On the outside!'

'You bet there is.'

'Why didn't you tell me that sooner?' She grabbed hold of his arms and shook him. 'If you had said we could have headed there from the beginning.'

'Why?'

'Because that's where the Boy would have taken your friend.'

'Hey chill will you.' Tristan laughed trying to cover up his own nerves. 'How do you know he would have headed there?'

'Oh, because… Oh... I... I'll tell you on the way there. We really don't have the time to waste around here anymore.'

'All right but you'd better explain.' Tristan frowned at her. 'Joey lead the way, will you? I'd do it myself but... you know, the whole invisibility thing.'

'Right, that's you're excuse.' Joey smirked for a moment, before doing as he was told.

'Insanity isn't always a matter of nature,' Catilin began as they rapidly walked along. 'It may sound a little strange, but it's true. You see it all begins with another Nameless known as the Mother. The Mother was created to care for all the child-like Nameless, but she was never completed, in fact you could say she was a few stones short of a temple; literally. Anyway the first and only _children_ she had in her charge were the Girl and the Boy. The Boy was supposed to be utilised as a guardian whereas the Girl was destined to be a watcher. Despite everything they both show some promise in those fields when given the chance, unfortunately the Mother's influence made sure neither of them were ever stable enough for long term use. The Boy got it worse because she confused him on every possible level, even gender. She would sing to them both too, twisted little nursery rhymes. They really didn't help.'

By this time they were in sight of the lift and Catilin paused for a few moments to catch her breath. When she started again her voice was a lot calmer and there was a strange level of careful deliberation about her choice of words.

'It took a long time for anyone to realise what was going on and when they did the damage needed to be assessed. The First Mistress of Light sent both of them down to one of the mortal Realms in free form... err... thinking for themselves in the same state Tristan is in now. You see the best way to assess the damage was to see what they would do under their own free will. The Girl remained where she had been placed playing contently with herself and anyone who could hear her, so she was deemed useless but not a threat. The Boy, on the other hand, did things differently... But we are at the lift now; the time for explaining is over. Our only concern now is saving your friend.'

'Yeah, right, okay.' Tristan's stomach curled as he sense where the rest of Catilin's story might have been leading.

'I have no arguments either, but you're going to have to finish that story of yours later, you understand.' Joey focused his gaze on her as they entered the lift 'You're not cheating me out of answering my question just because we have to save Duke.'

'Alright,' she sighed, 'I finish it later. But for now we must save your friend.'

* * *

It wouldn't be long now. All that energy Duke had been filled with because of him was starting to taper off. It had sent Duke into such a deep trance he hadn't even noticed the Boy leading him close to the edge of the airship. The Boy knew exactly what Duke was thinking. It's what they'd all been thinking at this point. Soon. Soon it would be time; there was just one more thing he needed first. One thing which would make everything complete.

'What are you thinking?' The Boy gently coaxed.

'Something important...' Duke's word's drifted like his mind.

'Why is it important?'

'Because it's something for you.'

'For me?'

'Yes... yes it's something for you. Something important.'

'What is it?'

'A name.'

'For me?'

'Yes...' Duke's eyes were so clouded over it was impossible to tell what he was staring at when he looked at the Boy.

'Then tell me what it is Duke.' The excitement was almost too much for him. 'Tell me, what is my name?'

* * *

'Don't be alarmed if we find the Duke out there doesn't act a single bit like the friend you know.' Catilin placed an arm in front of Joey, temporarily baring his exit from the lift. 'The Boy has a very powerful hold on him; a hold which will have been warping his mind.'

'Will he go back to normal once the Boy's hold on him has gone?' Joey felt his heart beating hard in his chest.

'I don't know. I've never encountered anything like this myself. All I know is from what I've been told and what others have experienced.' She gave a dead sounding laugh. 'Although I never thought shared experience would ever be useful, it's one of the worst things about being a Calicaccu.' She shook her head, before taking a deep breath in and re-centring herself. 'Look I know if we stop the Boy in time then Tristan will be fine, but I've no idea what kind of an affect this whole mess will leave on Duke. There has only ever been one set of ammovate and victim to survive the Boy's game and the records of that are... sketchy at best.'

'If only one set has ever survived does that mean if one dies so does the other?' Joey glanced towards the spot he believed Tristan was standing in. 'I don't mean to sound harsh here, but if Duke dies and takes Tristan with him I'm never going to forgive him. Tristan's been my best friend for a long time; I refuse to let him die because of some Nameless entity.'

'Don't worry the ammovate, which is what Tristan is now, can't die. If we don't happen to get to Duke in time then Tristan will simply remain as he is and the Boy will move on to his next victim.'

'Then we really, really have to stop the Boy; the thought of an invisible friend is almost worse than the thought of a dead one.'

'If we don't save Duke, you won't have Tristan as a friend anymore. He might not be able to die, but he's not exactly going to be alive either. He'll be trapped with the others in a kind of limbo.'

'We can't let that happen.'

The lift stopped and the doors opened onto the duelling arena. From where they stood they could see Duke and the Boy stood incredibly close to the edge on the airship. Without another word to each other they crossed the arena. Nothing about Duke's expression looked right. His eyes were glazed over. His skin was deathly pale. He looked thinner... more haggard somehow, like someone had just drained the life out of him. The image sent chills up his spine, but not as much as the twisted look of excitement strewn across the Boy's face.

'Duke,' Joey's voice made the boy start, but Duke barely seemed to notice. 'Hey Duke,' he tried again, 'we've been looking for you everywhere. Where've you been?'

Duke's head turned in their direction, but his vision was so sightless it was impossible to tell whether or not he even knew they were there.

'Go away,' the Boy glared at them, 'we don't want you here.'

'But we're Duke's friends, isn't that right?' Joey focused his gaze on Duke.

For half a second a look of confusion appeared on Duke's face, but it only needed to be there for a second for the Boy to spot it. It was clear he wasn't please and his teeth gritted together with visible frustration.

'Tell them we don't want them here.' The Boy's voice seethed with anger as he spoke to Duke. 'Tell them they're not your friends. Tell them I am.' His face filled with a chilling smile. 'Tell them who I am.'

'No, no!' Catilin, who had almost fallen into a trance of her own when she spotted Duke, suddenly sprang into life. 'We already know who you are, there's no need for him to tell us.'

'But I want to hear my name,' the Boy's expression remained smug. 'I want to hear him say my name.'

'I thought you said he was one of the Nameless,' Joey frowned, 'doesn't he just have the title of the Boy?'

'I was hoping we would get here sooner than this,' Catilin's eyes darted about searchingly. 'I was hoping this wouldn't become an issue.'

'What wouldn't?' Joey grabbed hold of her. 'Catilin stay with me. I need you to stay with me.'

'Duke,' she blinked in confusion for a moment or two. 'Duke is supposed to give him his own name. The Boy wants... he wants his own identity. No... no it's not that. He wants to take other peoples. It's all a game to him. He is no one himself so he needs... he needs someone else's identity to feel real just for a short amount of time. Once he's taken everything they are away from them... once he has their name he kills them.'

'Duke...'

'You can't stop him from telling me my name.' The Boy cut off anything else Joey might have been about to say. 'I don't care what you say, I wanna hear my name.'

'Funny, I'm pretty sure I've heard that line somewhere before,' Catilin's head gave a strange roll as somebody else's voice started pouring out of her mouth.

'What?' The Boy's eyes went wide for a moment. 'Who are you?'

'You know who I am Boy.'

'No... no I don't. Tell me who you are.'

'But you already know who I am; I can see it in your eyes.'

'No,' the Boy was starting to look scared now, 'no I don't know. I don't know who you are.'

'Yes you do,' the male voice Catilin was using began to take on almost evil tones. 'You know me Boy; you know you know me.'

'I don't!'

'You do Boy.'

'I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't!' The Boy placed his hands over his ears. 'I don't know you.'

Catilin strode towards him and pulled his hands down from his ears. His eyes were then forced to meet with hers as she let out an almost hyena like chuckle of laughter. The Boy's face turned pale the second he heard it, he swallowed visibly hard and attempted to take a step away from her. Unfortunately for him Catilin wasn't finished yet and her grip on his wrist remained unbroken.

'You remember me, don't you Boy? You remember what you did to me? What you stole from me? I had a wife I adored. Children I loved more than life itself and you... you took that all away from me and didn't even have the curtsy to kill me after. Do you have any idea what it's like to die without dying?'

'Stop it. Stop it. I don't like what you're saying. Leave me alone.' The Boy shook his head as he stared at her in fear.

'I won't leave you alone. I can't leave you alone. You haunt me. You haunt me with everything you represent. So now it's my turn to haunt you.'

Joey wasn't sure what he was meant to be doing. A part of him was terrified Catilin's proximity to the Boy had caused her to lose whatever fragile hold she had over her mind. Then he noticed her left hand was no longer gripped round the Boy's left wrist. Instead it was making subtle movements in the air just behind her back. Instinct caused his eyes to turn towards Duke as he realised she was distracting the Boy in order to bring him back from the edge.

'And what about Diane? Didn't you take her name?' The tone of Catilin's voice remained unchanged. 'Did it really mean so little to you, you chucked it away. Just like you got her to chuck her own life away and robbed her of the one chance she might have had of an afterlife. That was cold Boy, seriously cold.'

'I didn't… I mean, I don't… I mean…' He stuttered.

'And what about me? I can't die because of you and I can't live either. I'm in a permanent limbo. Not one thing. Not another. There is no escape for me. There will never be an escape for me. Not as long as you exist. You stole everything from me.'

'No,' the Boy shook his head, 'no, no, no, no!'

'You're not scared, are you Boy?' Now that Catilin had removed Duke to a safe distance, she began pulling the Boy closer to the edge. 'You'd better pray to the First you're not scared of me, because I haven't even begun my attack on you yet and no one else has the power to stop me.'

'Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Leave me alone,' the Boy struggled to get away from her. 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry.'

'Sorry is not good enough Boy, I want you to pay for what you've done.'

'No, no, no, I don't like it here anymore. I want to go home!'

With that the Boy simply vanished. A cold feeling settled in Joey's stomach as he couldn't help but wonder if the Boy had left because he wanted to or because she'd made him. But he didn't have long to contemplate anything as two simultaneous events demanded his attention. The first was the reappearance of Tristan and the second was the collapsing of Duke.

'It's no small wonder he collapsed,' Catilin sighed, her voice still that of the unknown male, 'the Boy must have put a lot of strain on his mental energy; he must be exhausted.' She examined Duke carefully for a few long moments, before giving a modest sounding cough. 'Ah that's better,' she grinned as her own voice returned, 'I hate not sounding like myself.'

'Yeah about that,' Tristan frowned at her, 'the Slut and the Prophet said something about you being off-limits, so how did that guy possess you?'

'He didn't.' Catilin giggled. 'I've had a lot of people in my head over the years and I've learnt to do impressions of a lot of them.' She tilted her head in thought for a moment. 'It's strange; all the rest came as second nature. Maybe the Boy was affecting me in a way even I didn't realise. But enough I guess it doesn't matter,' her eyes again studied Duke, 'we need to get your friend down into a bed; being up here isn't going to do him any good and who knows how long he'll be out for.'

'Will he be all right?' Tristan's voice sounded more than a little mute as he clutched the material above his stomach.

'I wish I could tell you Tristan,' she frowned as she began to study him, 'but I'm afraid we're gonna have to wait and see.'


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

The announcement of the alliance with the Standing had just been given. King Tititanic had been cool and efficient with his use of words, whereas Lillyannu tried her best to express feelings of comradery and hope. Still it would take a few days for the full impact of the situation to settle and the true meaning of what was about to happen to dawn on their people. A cold feeling wound its way through Lillyannu as she made her way out of Tititanic's palace; the importance of the day would soon be lost in time as would the memories of it.

The heaviness weighed inside her heart as she made her way towards the oasis which lay halfway between Lun and Memphis. Her people were not the only one's she'd been lying too and now it was time to come clean with the fullness of her true plan. The sight of Yoam waiting with such patience with Simüte was almost too much for her to bear. How could she tell him? How could she break his heart again?

'Never have I had to lie so hard and so much.' Lillyannu couldn't even look at him. 'I've turned the Carnitatan into a war council. I have lied to them and manipulated them all. I feel like such a terrible person; I'm unworthy of the Ashmar name. But I know in my heart this was the only way... the only way to get them where I needed them when the time was right. Only the gods will be allowed to judge me for this and they'll know I did what I did to save them all.'

'What are you talking about?' Yoam stared at her in confusion.

'You should have just told them the truth,' Simüte half turned away from her, 'they might not have liked it, but at least then you wouldn't have been lying to them. You rallied them for a war that will never happen. There will be no repercussions for us, but our Khines... did you even factor them into all this?'

'Of course I did. I wouldn't be considering this else.'

'Then why rally them for war?' Simüte grabbed hold of her, making her gasp with fear.

'You stood behind me first Simüte.' Lillyannu held his gaze. 'You knew I was lying and you stood behind me.'

'You needed me to,' he pushed her away, 'and you knew no matter what I would. That's why you didn't tell me you were planning on lying to them. Because you knew no matter what a Lutoni would always be loyal to an Ashmar; even if it means lying for them and keeping secrets from our friends.'

'Simüte...' Lillyannu shot him a warning look.

'Will one of you please tell me what the hell is going on?' Yoam gritted his teeth.

'Tell him Lilly.'

For a few long moments she just stared at Simüte. Then she took a deep breath in and turned her attention towards Yoam. If her life was to be filled with nothing more than ways of breaking his heart, than this would be the last and most painful way of all.

'That meeting with the Carnitatan was false.' Lillyannu's voice was as dry as her mouth. 'If they think they're going into battle they won't ask questions when moving into your world. They will come... they will follow... because they'll believe they're making the final stand for their freedom. But they will not be there to fight an enemy; they will be there to hide from one.' She gave a muted half laugh. 'No matter what Simüte might think, the Carnitatan would never have agreed to the truth. They would never have agreed to disappear from history; for their past, present and future to become buried in the sands of time. They would have refused point blank to vanish without trace or memory and become Standing.'

'What...?' Yoam's eyes were wide with confusion.

'I want my people to become Standing. Or to at least think they are.'

'But how can they become Standing, I don't understand.'

'A spell. It won't make them Standing exactly, but it will make them forget who they really are. It will also seal their magic away so for all intensive purposes it will turn them into Standing and our kind and the mother kind will become... nothing.' Lillyannu turned away from him. 'Only two people will be left with the memory of our people, you and Simüte. Once you are gone the memory shall remain buried until my Khine and the Khine of each of my council members walk the earth. It will then be up to my Khine to determine whether or not the world is ready for our return; for the return of the Odraian and Silkoneon people.'

'Silkoneon?' Simüte breathed through an almost disgusted half laugh. 'Are you so desperate for us all to be Standing that you're already shortening the name?'

'I'm tired Simüte, I do not have energy to waste on saying names.'

'What does energy have to do with pride?'

'What about you?' Yoam interrupted before their argument could get any further.

'Huh?'

'You said only Simüte and I will remember, but what about you? Won't you remember everything still?'

'Tell him Lilly.'

Simüte's eyes glared without sympathy at her as she lowered her head in shame.

'I won't be alive to remember it or not.' She blinked half formed tears back from her eyes. 'In order to save my people I will have to sacrifice my life. It's what the spell calls for.'

'No.' Yoam's voice was emotionless and firm. 'No, there's no way, just no way I'm going to let you do that.'

'It's not your choice, it's mine. Besides if I do this you'll be able to defeat those wretched men a lot more easily.'

'And just how do you figure that?'

'Don't you see; if my people don't exist in living memory then they can't be part of that game. They will be released from it and free to hide with the rest of my kind. Without the added power my enslaved people gives them, they won't be half the threat they are now.'

'You don't know that, not for sure. They've already proven they can capture Standing in the same way. Your plan may not affect their strengths as much as you're hoping.'

'It's a chance I'm willing to take.'

'Well I'm not.' Yoam half shouted. 'I love you and I need you to fight by my side. I need you with me.'

'But I will always be with you Yoam,' she reached for the lily pendent hidden beneath his tunic, 'didn't I tell you; we'll be together in spirit forever. United by love.' She gave a tearful half laugh. 'How many years has it been since I gave this to you?'

'Seven.'

'It feels so much longer. And just look at us now; in such a short time we've both become rulers, beloved and depended on by our people. For the love of the world I would not change it, but, oh, if only I were not a queen and you not a Pharaoh.' Lillyannu could feel her own heart beating with pain. 'My sweet prince, how things would be if only we weren't ourselves; if we didn't have these burdens we must bear. If only…'

'If only we could be two faceless lovers in a sea of people who do not care why we are there or what we are going to do.' Yoam's face filled with a sad smile. 'Two faceless lovers, free to be in love.'

'Destiny is so cruel. It brought us together only to keep us apart.'

'It's never been destiny Lilly, it's always been you. You're the one who's kept us apart.'

'I'm sorry you feel that way,' she squeezed the pendent in her hand. 'But I promise Yoam, I'll never leave you. I'll make it so I can't.' She and the pendent glowed for a moment.

'What did you do?' Yoam stared at her.

'I've have given you a piece of myself by infusing it into the pendent. So now I can never completely leave you. As long as you have that pendent on a piece of me will always be with you. I never meant to keep us apart, you have to believe that.'

There were a few moments of tense silence. When Lillyannu dared to glance up towards Yoam she couldn't help but notice the tears in his eyes. He couldn't look at her, even though she knew it was the only thing he wanted to do.

'Will you wait for me?' Yoam's words trembled around the edges.

'What?'

'Will you wait for me in the afterlife? Will you wait for me to die so we can be together? Really be together.'

'I... I wish I could, but... the spell... it requires me to die without dying. There will be nothing left of me. Nothing fit for the afterlife anyway. I will become the spell itself and only when the spell is broken...'

'Then I guess I'll be the one to wait for you.' Yoam placed a hand under her chin and lifted her head towards him.

'What?'

'I don't know how yet, but I will find a way to wait for you. I will cross all oceans of time to be with you again. I will wait for you.'

'Yoam...'

Simüte gave a modest cough, breaking the intensity of the conversation they were having.

'Oh,' Lillyannu half jumped, 'I had forgotten you were here Simüte, sorry.'

'It's alright, but... I might not like the idea of our people becoming lost in the sands of time, but...'

'It will make you free to marry a Standing.' Lillyannu smiled. 'A freedom I was never granted.'

'I could never have married one of our kind; I've known that for a long time.' Simüte shrugged. 'And you two aren't the only ones to have found love with someone you shouldn't.'

'You mean Nima, don't you?' Yoam placed a hand on his shoulder.

'This is the only way we'll be together. After all, her brother did promise me if I were ever to become a Standing...' he gave a strange half laugh. 'My affections towards your cousin have not changed since the day I met her and I know the two of you understand.'

'Oh my dear Simüte,' Lillyannu smiled at her, 'I'm glad in the end I was able to keep my promise to you and give you the freedom you deserve.'

'Freedom,' Simüte shook his head, 'you call what you're giving me freedom? You're taking away my title, my people, my gods. You're turning me into be a falsehood; a mock Standing and you're calling it freedom? Well if this is freedom then freedom has a high price and a lot of rules.'

'Simüte...' Lillyannu reached a hand towards him but he just battered it away.

'Don't. I'm not angry at you, I'm just wondering if this thing you're calling freedom is how freedom's meant to be. Maybe this is the closest thing anyone will ever have to freedom.'

'Maybe,' Lillyannu lowered her gaze, 'and maybe that's how things are meant to be.'


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

He didn't know what had woken him or why, but as his mind became ever more alert the sting of betrayal hit him like a jolt of lightning through the heart; things were not the way they should have been.

'Fascinating,' the unfamiliar voice made him jump, 'I was wondering who would be brought out when I tried this, but I never thought it would be you.'

He turned in the direction of the voice to see a white haired stranger. The stranger was wearing strange clothing the likes of which he'd never seen before. A deep frown pulled across his face as more realisations dawned on him.

'How long was I asleep for?'

'Too long,' a cruel smile pulled at the stranger's lips. 'But I think the time for sleep is over, don't you?'

'That's not for me to decide.'

'Isn't it? You did not die the man you were born and if they have their way you'll never be that man again. Doesn't that make you angry?'

He gripped the material above his stomach as he tried to evaluate the stranger's motives. He couldn't deny the feelings of betrayal and hurt rolling around inside of him. Anger too. More anger than he realised. Too much anger. He didn't like the feel of it; it felt unnatural inside his stomach like someone was forcing it to be there.

'Who are you?' His eyes turned back towards the stranger.

'A keen observer of the past and present; I've learnt a lot today. More than you could possibly know. That's why I awakened you.'

'I don't understand.'

'I know you don't now, but you will.' The stranger chucked a scroll towards him. 'Read this and then I will explain everything. Or at least everything you need to know.' He chuckled darkly. 'Consider this an exchange, I'm giving you back your name and in return you're giving me the opportunity to correct a mistake from the past.'

'What kind of mistake?'

'Nothing that concerns you,' his eyes filled with an intense look of evil, 'at least not anymore.'

* * *

Lillyannu's body had already endured one great trial that day and now it was about to go through another. Whereas the first had been a difficult labour of love, the second was her sacred duty as the leader of her people. She and she alone was the only one who could save them now. She stood in the largest chamber of Yoam's Memphis palace, thinking about the so called army of Odraians and Silkoneons dotted around the city. They didn't know it yet, but they were destined to be an army who would never battle. This was to be Lillyannu's only and final stand and it would prove once and for all that she would always put her duty to her people above her own heart.

The thought saddened her; more so when she felt the eyes of Yoam pressing into her back. He was sat on his throne and next to him Simüte had stationed himself like a loyal sentry at his side. For the spell to work as planned only the three of them could be there. No one else could enter the room until after the spell had been cast, but the spell could not be cast until the two sorcerers arrived. It was the only way Lillyannu could ensure freeing her people from the game as well as sealing away their memories.

The seconds moved past like hours. The anticipation was painful as they waited in an all consuming silence. Eventually the silence was broken by the sound of feet marching up the corridor outside. The great stone doors swung open and the two sorcerers entered. Side by side they looked more terrifying than ever, especially since they now possessed five of the seven Millennium Items. Lillyannu suppressed a shudder; there was no time for her to be afraid now. This was it. This was what they'd been waiting for. The forgotten age had begun.

* * *

Catilin found herself studying the unconscious Duke for the millionth time since they'd brought him down to the medical room. There was something familiar about him. It was a kind of familiarity which filled her both with fond feelings and warmth as well as cautious uncertainty and strained detachment. The more she studied his features, the more confused she was about why she felt that way. There was something about him. Something which made her want to get to know him better.

Her eyes glanced towards Yugi's still zoned out body. The feelings she had for him weren't the ones she thought she would have. After all, he was the Khine of the man her Khine had been in love with and since she had a lot of her Khine's memories about him shouldn't she somehow feel more for him than she did. She had been in awe of him when her mind had been confused, but now that confusion was lifted he was nothing more to her than a stranger in a room full of strangers.

Catilin didn't like how that thought made her feel. She knew it was true; she was in a room full of strangers, but she didn't want to think of them that way. When she first realised her position as an Active Calicaccu made it impossible for her to lead her people, she'd locked herself away in the shadows of her people's former homeland. She'd been almost completely isolated for far too long now and she wanted more than anything to turn this room full of strangers into a room full of friends.

Something strange pulled in the pit of her stomach. Something which told her she wasn't meant to have friends. Just like she wasn't meant to lead her people. She wanted the feeling to go away, but it pressed at her, getting stronger and stronger with every passing second. It was almost enough to make her want to leave and return to her isolation. But she couldn't. She couldn't do that to herself again. She'd been alone for so long. She just wanted to stop feeling alone. Just for a little while... just for now... she wanted to have friends. She needed to have friends. She didn't deserve to be on her own forever, did she?

* * *

Now things had calmed down a little, Tristan dragged Joey into the corridor for a nice friendly little chat. The strange feelings of dread were still pulling at Tristan's stomach and the only way he could think to satisfy them was to get Joey to explain a few things to him. Unfortunately Joey wasn't cooperating; he thought it was funny to wind Tristan up as much as possible by being deliberately evasive.

'Joey will you please be serious for five minutes.' Tristan began to massage his temples. 'I've had a really stressful day and I just want to know a little of what's gone on. Just a little. That's all I'm asking for.'

'Okay, fine, spoil my fun,' Joey laughed and shook his head. 'So what do you want to know?'

'I want to know what the deal is with that Catilin chick, like who the hell is she anyway?'

'Don't call her a chick, that's really disrespectful. And I guess you could say she's an old friend.'

'But you've only just met her.'

'In this lifetime maybe, but in a past life we were best friend and almost totally inseparable.'

'Are you sure that was all there was between you?' Tristan raised an eyebrow. 'I mean you seem really close.'

'The two houses we belong to were always close. It was tradition or something for them to have lasting and enduring friendships. But law forbade it from becoming anything more than that, I think.'

'Huh?'

'The four head houses couldn't... can't intermarry because they need to remain separate in order to maintain the social and power balance, or at least I think it's something like that. My head is filled with all this sketchy information and I'm not really sure I understand half of it. But I am certain the only thing I feel for her then and now is friendship.'

'You sure man, you seemed pretty glued to her.'

'There are two reasons for that. The first is that she's pretty fragile... mentally I mean, in case you hadn't noticed. The second is that she can clear up these details in my head by telling me things about my predecessor and about my people.'

'You have a people now?'

'Well yeah.'

'You mean you're not human?' Tristan laughed almost involuntarily.

'No I am,' Joey frowned for a moment. 'I'm just a different breed.'

'Huh?'

'It's complicated.'

'Well explain it?'

'Later, let me sort it all out in my own head first.'

'Maybe talking to me about it will help you sort things out,' Tristan shrugged, 'don't you think it's at least worth a try.'

'No.'

'No?' Tristan's eyes turned towards his friend.

Joey's face was filled with a sudden and unexpected look of pain. Dread bit hard at the centre of Tristan's stomach as he knew without a doubt something bad was once again about to happen.

'Joey... Joey are you alright?'

'No, no I'm not. I don't feel right at all.' Joey shook his head as his skin paled further. 'I think, I think I'm gonna be sick.'

'Do you... do you want to lie down? Would that help?'

'I don't know. I don't know what's wrong. Maybe... maybe lying down will help. I feel so sick, my head is spinning.'

'Come on, let's get you back to Mai's room.'

'No. No get away from me, get back, don't come near me,' Joey looked terrified. 'Get Cat. Get Cat, she'll know what to do. Please... please get her... get her so she can help me.'

'I'm not leaving you on your own man,' Tristan shook his head. 'You're not well.'

'And I'm not giving you a choice. Please Tristan; get Cat for me, please.'

* * *

'Are you sure this is the right thing to do?' His eyes turned towards the white haired stranger as he watched the results of the first spell take hold.

'Don't you want to restore your name?'

'I do, but... if this is the cost I...'

'It's not too late to stop it you know. The reverse spell is right there in your hands.' The white haired stranger indicated towards the scroll.

'But if I stop it now then...'

The white haired stranger laughed and a mocking smile filled his face. For a heartbeat he wondered once again why he was trusting this man; it was so obvious there was not a shred of decent emotion in him. Whatever it was he was hoping to gain from all this...

'A spell ended it all,' the white haired stranger whispered into his ear, 'and a spell will start it all again. If you won't do this for me I'll just summon another of you to do it instead. Do you really want the fate of this in someone else's hands? Someone weaker than yourself? Someone I could manipulate more easily.'

'Are you telling me you're manipulating me?'

'Is that how it feels?'

'No,' he shook his head. 'No, I'm doing this because I know it needs to be done. But once it is done I'll make sure they deal with you.'

'You don't trust me?'

'Of course I don't trust you.'

'Good,' the white haired strange gave a dark sounding chuckle, 'if you trusted me this would be no fun.'


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Baraku and Hamen exchanged amused glances with each other as they examined their opponents. It appeared both parties had decided to start this as a one on one battle. Well three on two, but that made little difference. They might have been outnumbered but they had five of the seven Millennium Items with them, the Pharaoh just had the one around his neck and he was a fool if he thought that would be enough.

'I'm surprised you surround yourself with so many pets at a time when an army would be more appropriate Pharaoh,' Baraku smirked at him. 'If I were in your shoes...' he laughed, 'but that's right, I'm never going to be in your shoes. I plan to win this.'

'We plan to win this,' Hamen corrected him. 'And when we do that stubborn little brat you call a cousin will switch his loyalties to us.'

'Why are you so interested in him?' The Pharaoh's gaze narrowed on them.

'I told you before Pharaoh, he's powerful.' Baraku took a step towards them. 'But he's more than that, he's family.'

'What?'

'The curse Vii Sen,' Lillyannu gave a strange half laugh, 'he was made up of your kin. I thought it was strange, you referring to each other as brothers when you look nothing alike. There is no blood between you, is there? But, despite everything believed of him, Tao has proven himself loyal.'

'Only because his precious... _cousin_ lives.' Baraku took great amusement in the fact he knew something none of them appeared to. 'I'm sure the Pharaoh's death will correct that.'

'You have to get through me first.'

Lillyannu centred herself before them; she bowed her head, held her right arm parallel to her shoulder, lowered her left arm and placed her feet in a "T" shape. Her look gave an outward impression of apparent submission, which made Baraku laugh and Hamen to chuckle to himself. But when she lifted her eyes towards them it was clear a fire burnt within her no amount of water would ever put out. However she might have appeared Lillyannu was showing them anything but submission.

'Gods of fire, earth and air, water and lightning too. Gods of psychic, ice and spirit hear me I summon you.' Small orbs of light appeared and swarmed around her, growing in number and size as she continued with her chant. 'Take me in your deathly grip; except my mortal offering and in return grant for me what I request for those I leave behind.' The orbs closed in around her, consuming her. 'Gods of fire, earth and air, water and lighting too. Gods of psychic, ice and spirit, grant to me, grant to me, grant to me!'

* * *

As her voice became nothing more than a terrifying scream, Yoam winced and turned away. There was just no way he could sit and watch her being consumed. The idea alone left a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he wished he could block out the sound of her screams. A bright ring of light, originating from her, rippled out across the room. From the room it made its way out into the city and then the world. With a heavy heart, Yoam glanced back to where Lillyannu had been standing. Nothing was there now and it felt like she'd never even existed.

'Shall I get your guards my lord?' Simüte's voice was little more than a hushed whisper.

'Yes,' he sighed, 'I guess there's no choice but for us to get this underway now. One thing though Simüte.'

'What my Pharaoh?'

'You are still my friend, so drop the formality.'

'All right Yoam.' He smirked at him as he moved towards a small side passage at the back of the hall and motioned for the guards to enter.

'Sending for your guards already and here was me thinking this would be a fair two on two match up,' the white haired sorcerer smirked. 'Then again since you didn't deem your minion worthy enough to hold one of these,' he gripped his hand around the Millennium Ring, 'I guess this whole show was little more than pathetic attempt at intimidation.'

'Simüte is one of the greatest allies I have and you will not speak ill of him.' Yoam rose to his feet.

'Funny and here I was thinking that sort of praise should go to your good _cousin_ Tao. Or does his loyalty go so without question you take it for granted?'

'My cousin takes nothing for granted,' Tao took his place at Yoam's side, 'and you will pay for everything you have done.'

* * *

Catilin was still debating whether or not she should leave when a sharp pain rocketed through her stomach. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced before and it sent her mind into quick and easy disorientation. Everything fell out of focus. All thoughts. All notions of who and what she was, was all gone. Simply gone. A part of her feared one of her episodes was about to set in, but this felt different somehow. This felt unnatural...

'Catilin something's wrong with Joey.' A muffled, distant voice sounded out of the confusion 'Wait... are you all right? Catilin can you hear me? Man I can't handle this right now. This is a nightmare! Catilin... Cat are you all right?'

'Ver-V-Veronie?' The word tumbled out of her mouth.

'No it's Tristan. Cat? Catilin? It's Tristan, do you hear me? Something's wrong with Joey too.'

'Ver-V-Veronie?' She winced in pain. 'T-t-take m-me t-to him. M-must please... I've got to... got to... got to... Quick... Something... something... please...'

'I don't think you're in any condition to go anywhere.'

'No... must... I... please...' the confusion was almost too much for her now. 'Please... I must... I must... I must...'

'You're staying here. Trust me, you're not going anywhere.'

'Let me go... let me go... I don't belong here...' she shook her head. 'No... no... let me go... please let me go.'

'I can't... I can't do this on my own. I need help.'

The door opened and footsteps sounded down the hallway outside.

* * *

Serenity was tingling with annoyance. Their chase after Mokuba hadn't helped them even in the slightest in their search for Duke. Not that the information hadn't been a little concerning; one of the damaged engines had failed and landing was going to be a little tricky; not impossible, just tricky. Not that Kaiba had been particularly pleased for either of them to be hearing this. Just like Serenity wasn't pleased with the way Téa had just wasted their time getting them on the bad side of the Kaiba brothers when they had more important things to worry about.

Her patience had slowly returned to her as Téa apologised a million times for acting so brashly and they completed their search of their given section. They were just making their way back to Mai's room when Serenity spotted the unconscious form of her brother lying in the corridor ahead of them.

'Joey!' Serenity rushed over.

A painful moan escaped him as he stirred slightly.

'Joey?' Serenity placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Joey what's wrong? Big brother what's the matter with you? How'd you get like this? Where's Catilin?'

'She's in Mai's room, probably unconscious at this point.' Tristan's voice made her jump.

'Tristan I can see you.' Serenity gawked at him. 'Does that mean you found the Boy? Is Duke all right?'

'He's unconscious right now, just like pretty much everyone else seems to be. But on the upside at least he's not dead.'

'Will he be all right when he wakes up?'

'Right now no one knows for sure.' Tristan turned his gaze away. 'Only time will tell I guess.'

There were a few moments of silence as Serenity turned her attention back to Joey. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the way Tristan gripped the material above his stomach.

'What's wrong with my brother Tristan?' She found her gaze going back up towards him.

'I don't know, he just…' Tristan's face was creased into a strange expression. 'He... he just felt ill and sent me to find Catilin, but when I found her she was in pretty much the same shape.' His head lowered and his body half turned away from her. 'What's wrong with today? Why does everything feel...?'

'Why does everything feel what Tristan?' Téa frowned at him as she joined them over Joey's half conscious body.

'Wrong.' The word came out of him as though it had been waiting for this moment. 'Everything feels wrong. And everything's going wrong.'

'Tristan...' Serenity found herself feeling sorry for him as she realised how hard this day had been on him, 'we... we've got to help my brother.'

'I know Serenity,' his eyes lifted to meet with hers, 'I know.'


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

A slight groan escaped him as he started to come round. His body felt numb and heavy as though it had been asleep for years. His mind was filled with a cotton wool-like fuzz which gradually began to lift as the memories of who he was came back to him. As his eyes opened back out onto the modern world he couldn't help but review some of the details of the past with own mind. Joey had once been Simüte. He had once been Yoam. From what he'd seen of the Pharaoh's cousin Tao, there was no doubt in his mind he was the same Kaiba-like sorcerer from the stone tablet. But there was one more detail he hadn't been expecting. Something which explained so much and so little at the same time.

'Baraku...' words felt strange and dry inside his mouth. 'Bakura...'

The numbness in his body turned into stiffness as he found himself suddenly needing to move. He was waking up a lot faster now, but a part of him couldn't help but wonder just how long he'd been asleep for. It felt like a lifetime had passed and at the same time... His eyes examined the room he was in. It was the same one he'd been in before allowing the Pharaoh to show him more of his past. All that told him was that the blimp hadn't landed yet, which meant at most a few hours had gone by. Yugi wasn't sure if he was relieved by that or not. For now it was enough that it was a thing.

The other thing he noticed was the fact the room only had three occupants and all three of them were currently unconscious. Mai's sleeping state was what Yugi had expected, Duke's was not and the third was an unknown girl crashed out on the floor in the middle of the room. Somewhat automatically he made his way towards her. With care he brushed some of the hair back from her face and gasped in shocked surprise to see who she was. For a second his heart leapt with a strange feeling, but it wasn't any of the feelings he would have expected.

'Yugi?' Behind him Mai stirred.

'Mai?' Yugi turned his attention towards her. 'Mai are you alright?'

For a long moment there was silence. A deep frown appeared on Mai's face as her eyes pulled open.

'Yugi you're awake?'

'And so are you.'

'Thanks to Joey,' a soft smile formed on her face for half a second before the frown returned. 'Veronie...'

'Huh?'

'It doesn't matter.' Mai was starting to become more alert. 'The others are looking for Duke. Some creature called the Boy has put him in danger and made Tristan invisible.' She yawned. 'I wanted to help too, but they said I was still too weak. They were right. So I stayed here to look after you but I guess I must have dropped off. What time is it?'

'Err,' Yugi checked his watch for the first time since he roused, 'about three thirty. Maybe I should look for them, I mean, Duke's here now.' He indicated towards the room's third bed.

'Hey look, we have a new bed in here,' Mai pulled herself into a sitting position. 'I thought I heard voices a while ago; I guess I must have been too asleep to really react to them. But if Duke's here then where are the others?'

'I don't know. But...' his eyes turned down to the girl lying at his feet.

'Who is it?' Mai half swung herself out of bed.

'It... it looks like Lillyannu.'

'Who's Lillyannu?'

'Someone... um... someone who lived a long time ago. Someone who... who should be... um... dead.'

'Oh. Is she? The girl on the floor I mean. Is she dead?'

'No, just unconscious.'

Mai pulled herself up off of the bed and stumbled towards him.

'Mai maybe you shouldn't...'

She held up a hand to stop him and pulled a smile onto her face.

'I need to get used to walking around sometime, don't I?' Mai reached him and studied the girl at his feet. 'Oh, that's Catilin.'

'Who?'

'Her name's Catilin. I don't really know all that much about her except that she helped Joey rescue me. I wonder why the others have left her here like this.'

'She was probably fine when they left.'

'Maybe, but with the day we've been having...'

'What do you mean? Just how much have I missed?' Yugi felt a growing level of concern moving in his stomach.

'I'm not sure; I missed some of it myself. But from the sounds of things Tristan's been having a really rough day.'

'Just Tristan or everybody?'

'From what I can gather Tristan's been having a rough day because of what keeps happening to everyone else.' Mai pressed a hand to her forehead as her skin turned marginally pale.

'I think you should get back to bed; I know you don't want to be babied, but overexerting yourself won't help either.'

'I suppose.' She sighed.

Yugi helped her back towards the bed. Almost as soon as she was in it and settled, Téa and Serenity came rushing in followed by Tristan carrying an unconscious Joey.

'Yugi, you're awake, finally, at least something's going my way today.' Tristan dumped Joey's body down onto the bed Yugi had formally been sitting on.

'What's happened to Joey?' Yugi's gaze flicked between his friends.

'I don't know,' Tristan gritted his teeth, 'we were talking when he suddenly started complaining about feeling sick. Next thing I know he's screaming at me to get Catilin. So I run to get Catilin and find her on the verge of passing out screaming at me to find Joey. By the time I get back to Joey he's in this semi-conscious state and I'm feeling like I'm just about to go out of my mind. With the way things have been going for me today if Téa and Serenity weren't there I might have done something really stupid. I still feel like doing something really stupid.' His fingers gripped the material above his stomach. 'You finally waking up is probably the best thing that's happened to me today.'

'Tristan are you okay?' Yugi found himself studying his friend in concern. 'You sound a little...'

'Frustrated. I'm just a little frustrated.' Tristan massaged his temples. 'I'm sorry I don't mean to be snappy, I guess I'm just not handling today particularly well.'

'Are you sure that's all it is?'

'I...' he hesitated then shook his head. 'Yeah, that's all it is.'

'Joey...' Mai's voice brought everyone's attention back to Joey's unconscious form.

'He appeared to rouse a little when we first found him,' Serenity sighed, 'that has to be a good sign, right?'

'Yeah,' Yugi smiled at her, 'I mean, your brother's been in pretty bad situations before and always worked his way out of it. I'm sure he'll be fine.'

'If it's like everything else which has gone on today, he'll be awake again before this blimp we're on lands,' Tristan fell back into one of the chairs. 'So whilst we wait for him we should find out what happened to you.' His eyes lifted towards Yugi. 'That Catilin girl said you were exploring the Pharaoh's past and I'd like to know if she was telling the truth.'

'Couldn't you at least pretend to be a little more concerned about Joey for five minutes?' Téa shot him a look. 'What happened to you being hypersensitive to Serenity's feelings?'

'Sorry,' his expression turned sheepish. 'I'm sorry Serenity, I don't mean...'

'It's okay Tristan,' Serenity's face strained with a weak smile, 'you really have been having it rough today. I'm not sure I would have coped any better.'

'I'm sure you would have coped just fine Serenity; I'm the idiot who can't keep his head together.'

'But you're at least certain Joey will wake up,' Serenity tried and failed to make her smile appear more confident, 'you just want to kill time until then. And you're not the only one curious about what Yugi went through.'

'I guess she's got a point there.' Téa's eyes turned towards Yugi. 'So what exactly did you see?'

'The Pharaoh showed me a lot of his past, but not all of it. He kind of stopped showing me things after someone he really cared about died. I guess it made him really sad... no I know it made him really sad, I can sense it. That's why he's disappeared back into the puzzle for now.' Yugi turned his gaze towards the puzzle around his neck. 'Some of the details of the past were unexpected. Like I knew Kaiba played a part in it, but I didn't expect him to be related to the Pharaoh. And... Bakura was there too. Well, no not Bakura, the way he acted reminded me more of the spirit of the Millennium Ring. He was called Baraku I think and with this other sorcerer called Hamen they were trying to destroy Egypt or at least the Pharaoh.'

'Do you think your past has anything to do with the reason our Bakura's not back yet?' Téa tilted her head in thought.

'Maybe... I mean, I know last night I wanted to talk to you all about finding some way of saving Bakura, but now I'm not so sure we can. Or maybe I'm just not so sure we should.' Yugi sighed and shook his head. 'If Baraku really is the evil spirit who lives inside Bakura's Millennium Ring then... I know Bakura is our friend, but the ring has this bad habit of always finding its way back to him. Maybe for his sake and for ours he's better off staying where he is.'

'How bad did this guy have to be for you to write our friend off so easily?' Tristan cocked an eyebrow at him. 'And I thought I was the one taking the award for Mr Insensitive today.'

'Trust me this guy was bad; a murderer even.' Yugi shifted his gaze away. 'Look I'm not saying we should give up on Bakura completely, I'm just saying we might need to be a little more cautious when we try to bring him back. That's if there's a way of bringing him back.'

'Fine, I guess I can agree to that.' Tristan ran his fingers back through his hair. 'So anything else about this trip to the past you think we should know.'

'Well there was one more thing. This is going to sound strange...'

'Stranger than anything else you've told us so far?'

'I guess not... Okay, well the Pharaoh's best friend looked exactly like Joey.'

'And let me guess,' Tristan rolled his eyes, 'this Joey lookalike was called Simüte Lutoni, right?'

'Yeah Tristan, how'd you know?'

'Something Catilin said about them being Khined from this pair who lived around the same time the Pharaoh did.'

'Khined...?' Yugi recognised the word, but didn't really understand it.

'Something to do with genetic reincarnation; I don't know, a lot of the stuff she says doesn't make a huge amount of sense to me.'

'Okay... well I guess that would explain why she,' Yugi pointing towards Catilin, 'looks so much like Lillyannu.'

'Sounds about right to me.' Tristan slouched down in his chair. 'So tell me, were Lillyannu and Simüte really just friends?'

'Yeah, they'd known each other from birth I think, so they were really close and I think they saw each other more like brother and sister than friends.' Yugi tilted his head in thought. 'Lillyannu married someone called Kindred; I never really got a good look at him but... I get this strange feeling there was something familiar about his face. Although maybe I'm just over thinking things now that I actually have to think about them.'

'Was this Simüte character married?' Tristan folded his arms loosely over his chest.

'No, but I think he was planning to marry the Pharaoh's younger cousin after... after Lilly died.' A sombre feeling moved through Yugi for a moment. 'The Pharaoh was also married to some woman called Toya. She...' he hesitated for a moment as his eyes gave Téa a quick once over, 'she also looked familiar, but the Pharaoh skipped over most of his memories of her.'

'How come?' Téa frowned.

'He didn't love her. Not really. He'd only married her because he had to secure heirs and the woman he was in love with he couldn't have.'

'Why not?'

'The woman he was in love with was Lillyannu and Silkoneon law forbade marriage between her kind and his.'

'Did she love him?' Téa's eyes glazed with the look a lot of girls got when they fantasised about forbidden love.

'Yes.' Yugi found himself feeling sad again. 'She may not have always acted like it, but I know she really did love him. That she would have done anything for him. But in the end...'

Before he could get any further Joey began to stir and Catilin moaned loudly. Almost in complete simulation their eyes blinked open. Everyone in the room held a single breath as they watched the pair stare around in confusion.

'Joey,' Serenity's happy whisper broke the silence, 'you're awake.'


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

Joey stared at his sister as though he'd never seen her before in his life. The uncomfortable feeling in Tristan's stomach stirred again, but he beat it back before it could really bother him. He was getting more than a little tired of it now.

'Joey, are you all right?' Serenity's expression wobbled.

Joey's head made small side to side movements as he continued to stare at her in confusion. Tristan gritted his teeth as ignoring his feelings of dread suddenly became that much harder.

'Joey, what's wrong?' Serenity's voice cracked with tears. 'Why won't you speak to me? Please big brother, tell me what's wrong.'

The second Joey turned his head away from her in order to study the rest of the room Tristan completely lost it. He grabbed hold of Joey by the collar and forced him to meet his gaze.

'This isn't funny Joey,' Tristan half shook him, 'this day has been bad enough as it is without you upsetting your sister like this. For god sake say something.'

'Zooh asta sai?' Joey stared at him in confusion. 'Mitte sono sar?'

The grip Tristan had on Joey slipped. He backed away from him as mixed feelings of anger and frustration washed over him.

'For god sake man this is not funny!' Tristan couldn't believe how hysterical he sounded. 'I don't know what game you're all playing or why you're playing it, but this is not funny. I can't take it anymore.'

'Kay juslaic ibeyo ayba tarno mero,' Catilin suddenly appeared beside Tristan.

'Aye,' Joey nodded, 'stas tah als moonoh anahah.'

'Speak English. Speak English. Speak English. Speak English.' Tristan felt as though he were slowly going out of his mind.

'Calm down Tristan I don't think they're doing this on purpose.' Yugi pulled a face as he turned towards Joey. 'Are you all right Joey? Do you know what's happening to you? Can you understand me?'

'S-s-s-slow,' Joey struggled to get the word out.

'What?'

'Sp-sp-speak s-s-s-slow.' Catilin stammered.

. 'Mann,' Joey cocked an eyebrow at her, 'caro tarno son melaic ver santero sar tahtahr, ziah?'

'Ziah,' she giggled.

'Te ce ler calo mor tik.'

'Aye.'

'Sp-sp-speak,' Joey turned his attention back towards Tristan, pointing at him as he did. 'Sp-sp-speak.'

'Why so you can give me even more of a headache?' Tristan massaged his temples.

'Sp-speak.'

'No.'

'Speak!'

'Tristan I think you should do as he asks.' Yugi placed a hand on his arm. 'I get the feeling they're trying to learn English from us. The more we say the better.'

'But Yugi, Joey already knows English.' Serenity stared at him in confusion. 'Why would he need to learn again?'

'It's something to do with his collapsing, I think. I'm not sure; I just get this feeling about it.'

'I'm getting a feeling about it too and I'm not sure I want to know what's going on this time.' Tristan again found himself gripping the material above his stomach, this time so hard it made his fingers hurt. 'I'm getting really sick and tired of this crap constantly happening to us.'

'Joey can't help it Tristan,' Serenity reached out to comfort her brother, 'he...'

Before she could finish what she was saying, Joey pulled away from her. The look on his face was a mixture of confusion and disgust. The look of hurt on Serenity's, however, refuelled Tristan's rage.

'That was not cool man,' Tristan grabbed him by the collar again, 'can't you see how much this is hurting her or did you lose your compassion along with your ability to speak English.'

'I don't understand,' Joey attempted to push him away. 'Centario you've done nothing but yell at me since I got here. Parkeno did I do?'

'Joey…?' Serenity just stared at him.

'Ca pa,' Catilin shot Joey an angry look, 'you shouldn't yell. Yelling is not a good trait marck Carnitatan esayo.'

'Ayealor,' he rolled his eyes. 'This firen assaults me and you expect me to remain calm?'

'Arn, I expect you to remain a Lutoni.'

'Fine,' he pulled himself out of Tristan's grip and turned his attention towards Serenity. 'Keep speaking.'

'Big brother? Joey? Don't you know me? I'm Serenity. Why are you acting this way? I... I...' She started crying.

'What's wrong with her?' Joey stared at Catilin.

'Se naro,' Catilin shrugged. 'Beats me.'

'What's the matter with her?' Tristan balled his hands up into fists and tried to resist the strong urge he had to hit Joey. 'What's the matter with her? I'll tell you what's the matter with her you insensitive...'

'Tristan stop!' Téa grabbed a hold of his arm as his fist made its way through the air.

'Aggressive isn't he?' Joey made his way towards Catilin.

'Typical Standing, obviously.' Catilin folded her arms. 'There might be something about him, but he's not worth the effort of finding out.'

'Under normal circumstances I would lecture you about dismissing a Standing like that. But in his case I'll make an exception.'

'And even permit yourself to talking about him in earshot?' Catilin smirked. 'His aggression must really have gotten under your skin. Still I wonder what Yoam's doing with them.'

'Mm.'

'And why we're so young.'

'Mm.'

'And where we are.'

'Mm.'

'And all these years I thought you had a flare for speaking.' Catilin narrowed her gaze on him. 'Your vocabulary seems a little limited.'

'New tongue,' Joey turned his gaze away, 'I'm not convinced I like it.'

'Mm.'

'Where are we?' Joey turned his attention back towards the rest of them.

'We're on Kaiba's airship.' Téa's eyes studied him closely.

'We're where now?'

'Kaiba's airship.'

Joey stared in confusion at Catilin for a moment, then back at Téa.

'Who's Kaiba and what in the name of Fray is an airship?'

'Don't... don't you remember Joey?' Serenity sniffed.

'You keep calling me that,' his facial expression softened for a moment, 'why?'

'Because it's your name big brother.'

'Do you hear that Lilly, the bit thinks my name is Joey?'

'But Joey is your name big brother.' Serenity half gawked at him.

'She thinks I'm her braysta too.' Joey looked mystified. 'What would Carlena think if she knew?'

'But…?' Serenity's eyes began to brim with tears.

'Will you stop upsetting her and just tell us what's going on already?' Tristan glared at him. 'Who the hell are you people?'

'What's you deal?' Joey's gaze narrowed on him. 'I don't owe you anything, so leave my case alone. Get it? Whatever else it is you might be you're nothing but a wretched Standing now.'

'I've had a bad day and you upsetting Serenity is the last thing I need right now. So I don't care what you think of me, just tell her what's going on.'

'Mann Standing,' Joey shook his head and rolled his eyes. 'Okay little bit,' he turned his attention towards Serenity. 'I don't know who you think I am, but I'm not your brother. So stop crying okay? I hate seeing girls cry, it's just not right.'

She ignored him and continued to sob quietly.

'I did my best,' Joey shot Tristan an imploring look, 'make her stop will you?'

'Try telling her who you actually are, it might help.' Tristan turned away from him. 'Because I'm pretty sure I don't owe you anything either.'

'Ayealor, fine,' Joey rolled his eyes again, 'I'm Simüte Lutoni, who are you?'

'Simüte Lutoni,' Tristan groaned, 'did you just say your name was Simüte Lutoni? I knew it; I knew something like this was happening. Why the hell does my life have to suck this much today?'

'Aren't you being a little overdramatized?' Simüte-Joey frowned. 'And I believe you owe me your name now.'

'I'm the idiot who seems to be attracting trouble today, but you can call me Tristan Taylor.' He began massaging his temples again.

'And her?' Simüte-Joey pointed towards Serenity.

'She's Serenity Wheeler.'

Simüte-Joey nodded and knelt down beside her. For a few moments he gently stroked the hair back from her face, causing her eyes to rise up and meet with his.

'Don't cry Serenity please. I'm sorry if I've upset you but… well… whoever it is you think I am, I'm not and... well… err… Damnable,' he stared up at Catilin. 'This language is damnable. How can I hope to calm the bit with such a damnable language? It's disgraceful.'

Catilin shook her head and shrugged.

'You could be of more use than that Lilly.'

'That's the second time he's called you Lilly.' Téa flicked her gaze towards Catilin. 'Who are you anyway?'

'I'm Lillyannu Ashmar,' she pulled herself up to her full height, 'and you my dear?'

'Téa Gardner.' She smiled before pointing towards Yugi. 'And this is…'

'Yoam,' Lillyannu-Catilin interrupted.

'Err no,' Yugi blushed. 'I'm Yugi Mutou, but the spirit of my millennium puzzle is called Yoam. And I think he knows you. No wait, I know he knows you.'

. 'Remarkable,' Simüte-Joey stared at him in wonder, 'you look just like Yoam as a boy, you know that Yugi?'

'Err… well yeah I did.'

'It's a real wonder,' Lillyannu-Catilin made her way towards him, 'the way you look now is just how he looked the day we first met.'

'Err... thank you. I think.'

'Yes, you should be proud.'

Tristan watched as Simüte-Joey studied Serenity. She was no longer crying, but it was clear the situation was still too much for her. His expression pulled thoughtful for a moment as he continued to study her.

'I like it that you're not crying now, but I can see you are still distressed,' he folded his arms. 'I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better.'

Serenity's eyes turned towards the ground and she remained silent. In distress Simüte-Joey turned his gaze towards Lillyannu-Catilin for answers.

'What are you looking at me for cempato? You're the one who has a sister, remember Carlena? What did you do to cheer her up when you were little?'

'Err...' he thought for a moment, glancing back down at Serenity as he did. 'Well there was one thing which used to work for both of us, didn't matter who was down you know. But I'm not sure it would work here.'

'Worth a go, isn't it?'

'I suppose,' he tilted his head to one side, before kneeling down beside her and singing. 'Kan kan kan se kan cenero. Mero sall sen tero tero. Mont sen ser nal dero dero. Comp an to se da.'

The second he finished Lillyannu-Catilin burst out laughing. Tristan wasn't sure which of them he was supposed to stare at first, Simüte-Joey for his bizarre little song or Lillyannu-Catilin for her reaction to it. From the looks on the other's faces it was clear none of them knew what to make of it either.

'I'm starting to hope you never sung that for your sister.' Lillyannu-Catilin's face pulled with amusement.

'Well,' he blushed as though he'd just realised he'd said something he shouldn't, 'it was her who taught it to me. She'd heard our uncle singing it when she was five and it always used to make us smile to hear. I guess we just forgot what the song was about after a while. I mean, half the words are gibberish anyway.'

'Suggestive gibberish.'

'Aye... but still...'

'I don't understand,' Serenity's large eyes went up towards him, 'what is the song about?'

'Err…' he squirmed.

'The delights of spring,' Lillyannu-Catilin smirked.

'That doesn't sound so bad.'

'That depends on what you think of as the delights of spring.' Simüte-Joey scratched the back of his neck. 'Look it doesn't matter; at least you're talking to me now.'

'Yeah,' Serenity's eyes studied the ground again, 'I guess I am.'

'Pan en satue.' A soft smile filled his face as he shrugged.

Tristan found himself studying Simüte-Joey for a few long moments. His anger was starting to abate a little now, mostly because he knew it wasn't entirely this guys fault for acting like a complete jerk. But just because his anger had died away, didn't mean the bad feeling in his stomach had. It was like a strong knowing feeling he just couldn't ignore; only he wasn't sure he understood what it was he knew or why. He just knew he knew something and he didn't like it.

'The language you were speaking before,' Tristan half turned away from him, 'what was it?'

'Etean,' Simüte-Joey tilted his head to one side, 'specifically Silete. Although the song was in Gonete.'

'What's the difference?'

'Gonete is the oldest form of Etean,' Lillyannu-Catilin replied before Simüte-Joey could, 'it's more rhythmic than the other two forms, but also has fewer words. A lot of the words it does have either lost their meaning or are just considered gibberish now. It's part of the problem with the evolution of language, but it's why all forms of Etean lend themselves as a natural way of learning other languages.'

'What do you mean?'

'Gonete's not just the original form of Etean; it's also the original language. The Odraians replaced it with what became known as Odete and the Silkoniousmacarmakayeons colloquialised... is that the right word... Anyway, my people modified the tongue a little to form the variation known as Silete. There's not a huge difference between Silete and Odete, but it's more the principal than anything.'

'Silete is the language of speeches,' a thoughtful look appeared on Simüte-Joey's face, 'or at least any true blooded Lutoni thinks so. We were the ones who made Silete what it is you know.'

'Aye, you Lutonis are all silvery tongued.'

'My father had no flare for words,' he shook his head, 'my mother was the talker in my family. It's almost a shame my father was the Lutoni really. Me and Carlena took after mother in more ways than one.'

'Is your sister older then you?' Now it was Serenity's turn to study him.

'Arn, I'm two years her elder.'

'Really?' Serenity blinked at him. 'But I thought you said she was the one to teach you that song.'

'I did,' Simüte-Joey laughed, 'and she was. But I'm thirty-four and she's thirty-two. Although right now I guess my age is a little off,' he stared down at himself. 'It's strange to be so young again.'

'What's your sister like?'

'She's mid height, with auburn waist length hair to which she plaits with flowers. She's kind and gentle natured, well formed and a model mother. She moves with the grace of a dancer, but there's a wolf in her which fills her with such a devilish streak. Shame indeed for a brother to corrupt his sister, but greater shame should she corrupt him.'

'Your sister is a wild one, but all you veronie are,' Lillyannu-Catilin laughed.

'Veronie?' Mai repeated the word. 'Isn't... isn't that Jo... someone's name?'

'Veronie is our word for wolf,' Lillyannu-Catilin shook her head, 'I've never met anyone called Veronie before, but it's not uncommon for Silkoniousmacarmakayeons to name their children after their Sintoys.'

'Sintoys?'

'Inner animals my dear.'

'So... so if one of your kind were called Veronie then... then their inner animal would be a wolf?' Mai pressed her lips together.

'What else would they want to be?' Simüte-Joey grinned. 'There's no better Sintoy than the wolf.'

'I beg to differ Simüte; I'm more than happy to be a mahrie.'

'But you mahrie don't have anywhere near as much fun.'

'Perhaps,' she turned her attention back towards the others. 'Now I believe you said something about this being an airship; what in the name of Fray is one of those?'


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

'Why him?' His eyes turned questioningly towards the white haired stranger.

'Why not?' The stranger smiled. 'He's alone and weak minded, perfect for what you need.'

'For what I need...'

'Don't tell me you want to leave the party already; you haven't even made your appearance yet.'

'Can't we just let them figure this out on their own now?' He turned his gaze away.

'If that's how you feel I can always get...'

'No.' He cut the stranger off. 'No, I don't trust anyone else with this. If someone has to do it, it has to be me.'

'If someone has to do it?' The stranger laughed. 'Don't you want your name back?'

'I do.'

'So what's all this _if_ talk about? We both know this is the only way.'

'Fine, but I need to know, what's in this for you?'

A dark smile appeared on the stranger's face and a cold shiver swept down his spine to see it.

'I'm sure you must have worked out by now that I am not as you are. There are only a few ways I can cross over into their world and the vessel I was using has become... misplaced. The magic to restore it has been locked away and I need it to be released again in order to get back everything I've lost. My plans might have changed, but my motives haven't. There are still a great many things I need, but I have the patience predator and I know in the end I will get the power I desire.'

'But this won't... I mean, you're not...' he stared at the stranger for a few moments. 'This isn't your power.'

'I wouldn't be so sure about that.' The stranger's eyes turned back towards the one they were watching. 'Now, it's time for you to join the party; you know what you have to do.'

* * *

Serenity felt as though she was being torn in two. On the one hand she was really worried about her older brother; after all if Simüte was using his body what had happened to his mind. On the other hand she found herself warming to Simüte. There was a lot about him which reminded her of Joey and yet at the same time the two were nothing alike. Simüte was slow to temper and had a generally calm demeanour. His humour, though at times immature, reflected a different way of thinking. Simüte was also responsible by nature and had an almost regal air about him. Still if she had to pick between them Serenity knew she would chose Joey every single time.

Lillyannu and Simüte had a lot of questions about the world Serenity and the others were living in. It was weird having to explain things to them, but it was also fun at the same time. Still as their questions started to dry up, Serenity found herself having a few of her own.

'What's your home town like?' Serenity half smiled at him.

'An appropriate city for a wolf,' Simüte-Joey grinned, 'well almost. I'd have rather we'd lived in Silkoniousmacarmakay, but the more dangerous that game made it to be there the more of my kind started living on Earth. Still, my father couldn't have chosen a better city than Lun.'

'How do you mean?'

'Well it's just the perfect city if you're a wolf. I mean you have the Temple of Sta right on your doorstep.'

'Sta?'

'God of the Moon,' Simüte-Joey leant his head back and howled.

The howl he made didn't sound like a human imitating an animal, it sounded exactly like a wolf's. For a second Serenity found herself taken aback, then she remembered what she'd learnt earlier about Sintoys and figured the howl must have come from the wolf spirit inside of him.

'You wolves and your eternal patronage to Sta,' Lillyannu-Catilin shook her head.

'Who else would us veronie patron?' An almost Joey-like grin pulled across his face.

'I don't know,' Lillyannu-Catilin folded her arms, 'but I do know one particular veronie who also patrons Mov.'

'Lutonis might be wolves but we're also gardeners.' Simüte-Joey pulled himself up with pride. 'Mov is the goddess of the earth. My dual patronage reflects my heritage perfectly.'

'Aye mai catana, no one can deny that. Nor can they deny your pride at being a Lutoni.'

'Being a Lutoni is a thing of pride, full stop. Anyone who thinks differently should not be allowed to bear the name.'

* * *

Kaiba once again found himself studying the plans for his Blue Eyes Jet. He had hoped to have a working version of it ready in time for the Battle City finals. Unfortunately his technical team hadn't been able to iron out the flaws in the design in time. The craft wasn't aerodynamically sound and until he could figure out a way of making it work his dream would be just that, a dream.

The finals might not have gone the way he'd hoped, but at least he'd been able to blow up the monument he'd built at the site of his step-father's company as he'd planned. Now he was going to take a few months off duelling in order to concentrate on other projects he'd left on the backburner. Projects like his Blue Eyes Jet. Just as he was about to pencil in some alterations to the blue print in front of him, his cabin door opened.

For a moment he glanced up to see Mokuba stood in the doorway. His eyes then glanced behind his brother to make sure none of Yugi's friends were following him this time.

'Don't tell me another engine has stopped working.' Kaiba focused his gaze on his brother for a moment.

'This isn't about engines Seto.' There was something odd about the way Mokuba spoke, but Kaiba couldn't put his finger onto what.

'Then why are you here?'

'There's been an intruder onboard for the better part of the day, I thought you should know.'

'An intruder? How? Where'd they come from?' Kaiba frowned. 'And why are you only telling me about it now?'

'Because I'm only interested in it now.'

'Mokuba...!'

'She's currently in the medical bay with the others. We should go check it out right?'

'Oh I get it,' Kaiba felt a sudden surge of anger, 'Yugi and his fan club want to rub his victory in my face whilst prattling on about friendship and they've somehow convinced you to help them out, right? Well it's not happening, not now not ever. I don't want or need their company and the less time you spend with them the better. Clearly they're a bad influence on you.'

'But there really is an intruder onboard.'

'Then deal with it yourself Mokuba, I'm busy right now.'

'That was not the response I was looking for.' A familiar voice sounded out of nowhere. 'Oh well.'

'Who said that?' Kaiba's eyes moved passed his brother to the hallway beyond. 'Show yourself.'

'He can't right now,' Mokuba lifted a hand towards him, 'believe me when I say I didn't want things to go this way, but trust me this is for the best.'

'What are you talking about? Mokuba what's gotten into you?'

'It's not like you to ask so many questions Kaiba.' The bodiless voice sounded again. 'Especially when you know as well as I do you won't believe the answers.'

'Who are you?'

'Can't you guess?'

'Bakura,' Kaiba gritted his teeth. 'If you're about to prattle on at me with more of your fairytale nonsense then...'

'Fairytale?' Mokuba laughed with surprise. 'It's no fairytale. Right now it's more like a bad dream.'

'Your cold feet are no longer amusing,' Bakura's voice sounded again, 'you know as well as I do you have to push ahead with this plan now.'

'I know.' Mokuba gritted his teeth. 'But that doesn't mean I'm not allowed regrets.'

'Stop regretting and start following the plan already.'

'Mokuba...' Was all Kaiba managed to say before his words were cut off by Bakura's arrogant laughter.

'You still think that's your brother you're talking to?'

'I told you, I don't buy into that fairytale nonsense.'

'It's not nonsense,' Mokuba shook his head, but I guess I'm going to have to prove that to you. 'Ven tyeloh,' he whipped his outstretched hand back towards himself and pulled it into a fist, 'zes parhr zayto.'


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

It felt like he was waking up inside of a dream. It was disorientating, but it was also surreally logical like waking up in a warm bath you didn't remember running. Everything made a lot more sense now, but at the same time made no sense at all at the same time. Joey didn't question the feeling anymore than he questioned the darkness around him. And even though he knew there was something very, very wrong with the situation there was nothing he wanted to do to correct it.

'Veronie...?' A voice from his left made him turn.

For a few long moments all he could see was the darkness, then Catilin's image began to blur into view. From where he was it looked as though she were floating in a dark pool of water. Only the water was all around her, making her hair swirl in all directions. A faint smile twitched at his lips as he admired the serene beauty of her position. Something told him he'd seen Lillyannu like this on more than one occasion; not surrounded by darkness like they were, but in some kind of pool of water. Lillyannu had always been serenely beautiful.

'This place feels strange,' Joey's voice sounded drugged and heavy, 'where are we?'

'I... I'm confused...' Caitlin's head moved from side to side, making her hair appear to swarm around her. 'I... I shouldn't be here. I'm not... not anymore... They... they said... they... they promised. I... I'm not... not supposed to be here... not anymore. Why...?

'Where is here?' With a lazy kind of effort Joey half swam half rolled towards her.

'Our minds, but... but far... far back... so far back... back in the place... the place where we are all one.'

'I don't understand.'

'We're so far back we... we're beyond the boundaries. But I don't... I don't understand. Why are we... why are we so... so far back? Why are we where all minds link? I don't understand.'

'All minds link?' Joey felt some sense of reality returning to him. 'Can we... can we get to other minds from here?'

'All minds... all minds are linked... if you... if you go back... back far... far back... all minds become one.'

'Is it possible for us to go even further back and leave our own bodies?'

'Bodies... our bodies... where... where are our bodies... I don't... I don't understand... Why... why are we here...?'

'Cat... Catilin, I need you to... to hold together just a little bit. Can you do that for me, please?'

'I don't know... I don't understand...'

'Catilin,' as he finally reached her he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Almost as soon as he did images flashed through his mind. He found himself filled with so much information in one hit he wasn't sure where to even begin sorting through it. It was enough to jolt him back to his senses and he quickly pulled his hand back from her. They needed to get out of this place and find out what happened to them, but how.

'Catilin,' Joey made his voice as firm as possible, 'Catilin you need to concentrate on the sound of my voice. I need you to tell me how we can get out of this place.'

'Our bodies... someone else is... why are they... I don't... I don't understand... Why are we here?'

'I don't know why we're here Cat, but we have to find out, okay? I need you to tell me how we can leave this place and enter someone else's mind.'

'Why... Why... I don't... I don't understand...'

'Because whoever has our bodies won't give them back without a fight. We need to know what we're up against. We need to get into someone else's mind. Someone nearby. But I need you to hold it together and tell me how to do that. I know you know how.'

'Relocate... we need to relocate.' Catilin's gaze met with his.

'Yes, yes we need to relocate.' Joey nodded. 'You need to tell me how to do that.'

'Tell you...'

'Yes.'

'Show you...' Catilin reached a hand towards him and placed her fingers on his forehead. 'This is how...'

* * *

Serenity had asked all the questions she needed too. Well all but one. There was still one little thing she needed to know, but wasn't sure how to word the question. After all, she didn't want to appear rude or offend their guests. But no matter what she had to find out what had happened to her brother. She didn't believe for one second Simüte had put him in any deliberate danger. If she had to guess she'd have said Simüte's plans for whatever day he'd been on before arriving here hadn't including time travel. But if he was here did that mean Joey was back in his body? The thought was unnerving and Serenity did her best to suppress it.

Just as she did the doors to the room opened to reveal Mokuba and Kaiba. There was something strange about the way both of them looked, but Serenity couldn't put her finger onto what. Then Mokuba's gaze made a sharp turn towards Lillyannu-Catilin and he sucked a strange breath in.

'Marana.'

'Marana?' Lillyannu-Catilin frowned.

'Mitte dros leloto, fito sai keta se?'

'Zooh asta sai?' Simüte-Joey took a step towards him.

For a few moments Mokuba's gaze flicked between them. He looked as though he were debating something or was about to lose his nerve. Then a firm resolve appeared on his face and he drew a deep breath in.

'My name has been forgotten, but it shall be reclaimed,' Mokuba held his head up high, 'my name Simüte is Nicolie Ashmar.'

For a few seconds shock descended upon the room. Kaiba's eyes turned angrily towards his brother, but his body remained strangely fixed in place.

'Mokuba you've been brainwashed, wake up right now.'

'Because that'll work.' Tristan rolled his eyes. 'Can't you for once just accept this situation might be beyond your understanding?'

'Can't you for once just accept that I'm not going to buy into all this fairytale nonsense?' Kaiba gritted his teeth as his hands twitched into fists. 'Mokuba's been brainwashed by your friend Bakura and...'

'Wait, Bakura's behind this?' Yugi cut him off.

'You could say that.' Bakura's voice chuckled out of the darkness.

'You're the spirit of the ring, aren't you?' Yugi's eyes glanced around for him. 'Your real name is Baraku.'

'Baraku Nima to be precise.' The voice sounded darkly amused. 'It was thanks to your little trip down memory lane that I was able to rediscover my true self. I understand my motives a lot more now, along with the true power of those trinkets you're slowly accumulating. But I can't really do much about it without a body of my own, now can I?'

'Nicolie you're helping this man?' Lillyannu-Catilin's eyes turned towards Nicolie-Mokuba in horror. 'Why? Why would you do that?'

'Because you promised me I would always be an Ashmar.' Nicolie-Mokuba gritted his teeth. 'You broke that promise and I want my name back.'

'You sound like a child.'

'I am a child. I am all that's left of Nicolie Ashmar after you turned the rest of me into a Tracker. I want my name back.'

'And I want my brother back,' Kaiba moved with speed to pin Nicolie-Mokuba back against the wall, 'snap out of it already Mokuba. Can't you see this is another one of their tricks?'

'Don't you find it just fascinating to know a man with so little faith is the reincarnation of the man who created the Millennium Items?' Baraku laughed.

'Show yourself Bakura and undo whatever it is you did to my brother.'

'Why is your answer to everything an over exaggerated anger and a refusal to believe what's going on around you?' Tristan shook his head.

'Considering the way you've been acting today Tristan, I don't think you can really talk.' Téa shot him a look.

'For a start my anger wasn't over exaggerated and I also wasn't denying what was going on around me I was just getting frustrated by it.'

'Will you two dweebs please be quiet, it's not as though you ever have anything useful to add anyway.' Kaiba didn't even bother to glance towards them, he just continued to pin Nicolie-Mokuba to the wall. 'Bakura tell me how to reverse the brainwashing you did to my brother right now.'

'I'm not brainwashed,' a strange shockwave of pink energy shot out of Nicolie-Mokuba knocking Kaiba backwards. 'And I am not working with you anymore Baraku, you hear me?'

'You can't go back on our deal now Nicolie.' Baraku's voice taunted. 'I told you, I can always find another to help me.'

'What is it you want anyway?' Lillyannu-Catilin glanced around for their invisible guest.

'The resurrection of your people,' he chuckled. 'You see that little trip down memory lane was most informative. I know exactly how much power your people would afford me and I am a man who desires power. Between the Millennium Items and your kind I would have more than enough power to complete my brother's plan. It's just a shame Hamen couldn't be around to see this too. Well not yet anyway, he's one of the pieces I'll have to wait on.'

'And how exactly is it you are here?' Simüte-Joey gritted his teeth.

'Did you know I was born dead,' Baraku's voice was darkly amused, 'I'm a Vii Sen. Vii Sen have an extended mortality.'

'Extended, but not unlimited, you still should have ascended long before now.'

'Ah, but my extended mortality allowed me to figure out away to become immortal, or at least a kind of immortal. In much the same way Lillyannu and Yoam did.'

'What do you mean?'

'He means he infused a part of his soul into an inanimate object.' Lillyannu-Catilin's face paled.

'Unfortunately for me I sealed a part of my soul into the ring after the Disconnection had begun. It left giant holes in my memory, obscuring my brother's true plan from me.' Baraku sneered. 'Who'd have thought the Pharaoh would have the key to unlock the truth and now to complete my brother's plan I must set everything back to the way it was before everything became forgotten. That's where you and Simüte come in.'

'I won't let you.' Nicolie-Mokuba turned towards the doorway. 'I knew you were using me, but if I'd have known it was for this I would have stopped you.'

'Stopped me, but not the awakening, right?' Baraku laughed. 'You still want that to go ahead, don't you?'

'I...'

'You people are crazy,' Kaiba's voice was angry but level. 'Unbrainwash my brother right now so the two of us can leave here. I've got much more important things to do with my time.'

'I'm afraid I can't let you go Kaiba,' Baraku tutted. 'See my brother's plan involved your predecessor. He might be long gone now, but you'll do quite nicely in his place.'

'What do you want from me?'

'Now, now Kaiba that would just ruin the surprise. What do you say we take this party somewhere a little more private? Nicolie take Kaiba to Sil.'

'But...' Nicolie-Mokuba stared at an empty spot not too far away from himself.

'Take Kaiba to Sil now or so help me I'll find someone more compliant than you.' Baraku's voice was deathly serious. 'Now Lillyannu and Simüte you're welcome to join us. In fact, I insist upon it. After all, I can't reawaken your people without you.'

* * *

As unnerving as it was to watch someone else controlling her body, Catilin's mind felt much more settled now they were in their new hiding place. Her thoughts weren't completely clear, but she could think straight enough to assess what was going on. It took her a while to find the train of thoughts she needed, but once she had she found herself turning towards Joey with a strange kind of urgency.

'Baraku Nima was Tao's uncle.'

'What?' Joey frowned at her.

'It was the last and most important piece of information Lillyannu passed onto me,' Catilin turned her attention back towards her window to the outside world. 'Tao's father was a man who became known as Simonus Karinal. In truth he was actually two men, Simonus Tao and Karinal Nima. Karinal was born dead like Baraku, only he didn't accept his life as a Vii Sen quite so easily. He chose to take over the body of a man born on the same day and at the exact same time as him, Simonus Tao. Any Vii Sen who takes the life from the living in any manner is considered cursed and because of his method Simonus Karinal was more cursed than most. He was insane and his insanity led to his suicide, but not before he fathered two children. Tao and Nima.'

'Tao and Nima were also considered cursed...' Joey's voice sounded curiously distant as he spoke.

'Tao more so than Nima, since he was the first born. He was also a powerful sorcerer and a loyal cousin to Yoam, but...'

'But...?'

'The two men who were trying to destroy our people were both Tao's uncles. Their interest in him couldn't have just been in the fact he was powerful. They must have known something about him even my Khine didn't know. Maybe something to do with the curse.'

'And now you're saying the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring knows it too, right?'

'That evil spirit is Baraku, remember?'

'I know, this is just a lot to get my head around.' Joey sighed. 'So what do we do now?'

'We have to stop Baraku.'

'But how?'

'I don't know,' Catilin could feel her mind start to buzz with disorientation again. 'I know I should but... I just don't know.'


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

Nicolie-Mokuba had grabbed hold of Kaiba and left. Simüte-Joey and Lillyannu-Catilin exchanged wary glances before turning their attention towards the others.

'We have to go,' Lillyannu-Catilin's voice trembled around the edges. 'We have to; you do understand that, right? That madman has my son. He's manipulating my son. I can't just stand back and do nothing.'

'Going to him is exactly what he wants Lilly,' Simüte-Joey shook his head, 'we have to think about this. We have to come up with some kind of plan.'

'And in the mean time he's on Sil exerting yet more influence over my little boy.'

'He's not exactly your little boy anymore Lilly, he's made that more than clear.'

'Simüte!'

'I'm just stating the truth here.'

'We need Yoam,' Tristan cocked his head strangely.

'What?' Lillyannu-Catilin stared at him.

'We need Yoam,' he repeated. 'He's the only one other than Tao who knew how all seven of the Millennium Items work.'

'How do you know that?' Simüte-Joey frowned at him.

'Yeah Tristan,' Téa shot him an odd look, 'since when did you start doing anything other than panic.'

'I'm... I'm not Tristan.' Tristan shook his head. 'Lilly I... I'm your... I mean...' He clutched the sides of his head. 'This was all making sense a minute ago.'

'Catilin...' Mai half gasped.

'Yes,' Tristan nodded at her, 'I'm not Tristan, I'm Catilin. And we need Yoam.' Her eyes turned towards Yugi.

'You're an active Calicaccu, aren't you?' Lillyannu-Catilin studied Catilin-Tristan for a moment.

'Yes,' he nodded. 'And... this is... this is hard. I can't... Baraku... Baraku's plan won't... it won't work. He... he thinks it's... he thinks it's the body which matters. For... for the reawakening. He thinks... he thinks Simüte in Joey's body will... he thinks it will... but it won't.'

'Because it's not my destiny to do it, right?' Simüte-Joey half smiled. 'It's his. Only he is capable of starting the reawakening.'

'So all four of us need to go to Sil whilst Yoam works out how to trap Baraku's spirit inside the ring,' Lillyannu-Catilin folded her arms.

'You... you can't... you... you want the... the reawakening to... to happen?' Catilin-Tristan stared at her. 'But... I... I mean... I can't.'

'You don't think you're capable of ruling because you're an active Calicaccu?' Lillyannu-Catilin gave a strange half laugh. 'So was my father and the only person outside of our household who knew was Simüte's father. It's the real reason he wasn't as much of a Lutoni as you would have liked.' She flicked her gaze towards Simüte-Joey.

'Why didn't you tell me?' There was a hurt look on his face.

'It wasn't my place.' She turned her attention back towards Catilin-Tristan. 'But my point to you is you can be an active Calicaccu and a strong leader so long as you have the right network of support around you. Whether you want it to or not the reawakening is destined to happen now and you are destined to be queen. You wouldn't have been given the Lunus Crystella else and trust me I can feel it's there so there's no point telling me it's not. Catilin you can do this. You have to do this.'

Catilin-Tristan lowered his head for a moment. His eyes stared searchingly at the ground like some kind of active thought pattern. After a while he lifted his head again and a more determined look was strewn across it.

'We need Yoam; he needs to come up with a plan to seal away Baraku.' Catilin-Tristan's voice was a lot firmer now.

'I guess that's my cue,' Yugi closed his eyes and allowed the Pharaoh to finally takeover.

Yoam had started paying attention to what was going on shortly after Lillyannu and Simüte had revealed themselves. He'd then been waiting for the perfect opportunity to switch in and now felt like the right one. His mind then scanned through some of the memories he'd not revealed to Yugi; memories of his cousin talking him through how each item worked.

'The ring is in a bag along with the rod in Yugi's room,' Yoam jumped right into things. 'I think if we combine that with the necklace and the puzzle we might be able to create a Reama field strong enough to pull Baraku back into the ring and seal him there. At least temporarily.'

'How temporarily?' Simüte-Joey focused his gaze on him.

'A couple of years at most. We would need all seven items for anything more permanent.'

'Not perfect, but it'll do,' Lillyannu waved a dismissive hand, 'but you will have to find the other items before he has a chance to escape.'

'Naturally.'

'So the next thing you need to do is get the other items you have,' Simüte-Joey nodded at him. 'Or I will, where is this room of yours?'

'I'll show you the way if you like.' Serenity half smiled at him. 'The quicker we get these items, the better, right?'

'Right.'

'I feel such a joy in my heart,' Lillyannu-Catilin's face took on a strange look, 'when I realised I had to perform that spell I feared this day would never come. My people are about to be reawakened.'

'No Lilly,' Catilin-Tristan shook his head, 'not your people, mine.'

* * *

'Can somebody please shoot me through the head now?' Tristan rolled his eyes as he stared across at the image of Joey. 'I mean, I know my day's been far from normal, but stowaways and a body takeover? Why the hell does all this crap keep happening to me?'

'I told you I didn't do it on purpose Tristan.' Joey sighed. 'I didn't think to myself _you_ _know whose head would be good to move into..._ I wasn't thinking like that at the time. I was just thinking it would be good to get somewhere where we could see what was going on. And I didn't expect Cat to take you over either.'

'But she did, because that's just my life right now.'

'Tristan...'

'Look, I'm not that angry about it. I'm just a little tired of my life being so complicated right now,' Tristan massaged his temples, 'that's if complicated is the right word for everything I've been going through today.'

Now that he was inside his own mind, the feelings of dread which had been swirling around inside of him had become stronger. It pressed against his mental energy like some kind of clamp and was starting to completely overwhelm his senses.

'Are you alright Tristan?' Joey frowned at him.

'Honestly, I don't know anymore,' Tristan sighed and shook his head. 'I haven't been feeling right for a while.'

'Maybe it's some leftover effect from the Boy.'

'Maybe, but... well I was feeling a little off before that too. I don't know, maybe it's just stress.'

There was a brief pause in their conversation, during which Tristan noticed Joey staring back into the darkness behind them. For some reason it made Tristan feel prickly, like his privacy was being invaded somehow.

'I know the recesses of my mind must be fascinating for you, but this is my mind so...'

'Don't you feel that?' Joey cut him off.

'Feel what?' Tristan stared at him, feeling more than a little annoyed now.

'Like we're being watched.'

'And I thought I was the one being paranoid.' Tristan rolled his eyes again. 'Look, maybe it's just the effect of you being in my mind.'

'Maybe, but you have said you've been feeling a little off.'

'Yeah, but not like I'm being watched. More like... more like something bad is about to happen. And hey look, it does. So quit adding to my paranoia will you?'

'Sorry Tristan,' Joey shuddered as he turned his attention back towards their windows onto the outside world, 'next time I need to move my mind to another body I'll make sure it's not into yours.'

* * *

As soon as they arrived in the strange dark landscape, Bakura had appeared. Kaiba's first instinct had been to challenge Bakura to a duel in order to force him to release Mokuba from his brainwashing. But since Kaiba didn't have his deck or dueldisk with him that idea pretty much went straight out of the window.

'So Kaiba,' Bakura turned his attention towards him, 'still in denial about your whole ancient past?'

'You think mind games and a light show are going to change anything?' Kaiba folded his arms. 'This place is nothing more than an illusion.'

'If only your predecessor was more like you.' Bakura grinned. 'He was... a disappointment to say the least. Hamen and I offered him everything and he refused. But you wouldn't do a thing like that, would you?'

'Offering me some kind of power isn't going to convince me any of this is real you know.' Kaiba turned his head away.

'What if the power I offered you allowed you to defeat Yugi once and for all?'

'Hmm,' Kaiba studied him for a moment, 'why would you give that kind of power to me? I thought your motives were more selfish than that, didn't you want to defeat him for yourself?'

'Whether I like it or not I can't complete my brother's plan without you. It took a trip down memory lane to realise it, of course, but now that I do what do you say, partner?'

'Sorry, I work alone.' Kaiba shook his head. 'If I'm going to defeat Yugi it going to be because I earned it, not because some psycho-freak offered me a phony promise of power.'

'So you're going to be just as stubborn as he was after all.' Bakura laughed. 'Well, I have other ways of getting you to cooperate.' His eyes turned towards Mokuba.

'You leave my brother out of this.'

'Oh but Kaiba, I wasn't the one who brought him into it. Was I Nicolie?'

'Ca pa Baraku,' Mokuba gritted his teeth, 'I've had just about all I can take out of you.'


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

'Veronie needs a body...' Catilin-Tristan tilted his head to one side.

'What?' Téa frowned at her.

'Veronie needs a body. He needs to be there too if the reawakening is going to happen.'

'Who's Veronie?'

'She means Joey,' Mai half pulled herself out of bed.

'Joey... right, I guess I must have been confused for a moment.' Catilin-Tristan tilted his head back the other way. 'But either way, he still needs a body.

'Can't he just take his own back?' Téa studied him for a moment.

'I...'

'Simüte and I can't leave until Nicolie releases us,' Lillyannu-Catilin shrugged.

'So then why doesn't Catilin just swap places with Joey?' Téa felt as though she were stating the obvious.

'Stable... it's unstable...' Catilin-Tristan appeared to be drifting off again.

'Stay with us.' Lillyannu-Catilin took hold of his arms. 'You have to stay with us, okay? I know this situation isn't helping you a whole lot, but it'll be over soon enough. Until then I need you to stay with us, okay?'

'There's something... not right... it's... it's harder than it should be.'

'There's something unusual about your host, I'm sure you've been able to sense it too. My guess is that he's a Nethher, so his lack of protection is what's making it harder for you. But you will get through this, okay?'

'Okay...'

'Stay with me Catilin. Are you with me?'

'I'm here.' Catilin-Tristan nodded.

'You never answered my question,' Téa shot Lillyannu-Catilin a look.

'Unfortunately it's because the answer is obvious Téa,' the Pharaoh sighed, 'it's to stop her from loosing whatever stability it is she's holding onto right now.'

'Explain to me again why anyone thinks this girl should become a leader?'

'It's because it's her destiny,' Lillyannu-Catilin pulled herself up to her full height. 'So, which of you will volunteer to host Joey?'

'Host Joey?' As if working by some invisible cue Serenity and Simüte-Joey entered.

'Yes,' Lillyannu-Catilin turned towards her, 'we need someone to host your brother's mind so he can perform the reawakening.'

'Then the answer is obvious, it should be me.' Serenity stepped forward.

'I don't think so Serenity,' Téa shot her a stern look, 'this situation could be dangerous and I don't think Joey would want you in harms way. So I'll do it.'

'No you won't, he's my brother; I should do this for him.'

'But that's the exact reason why you shouldn't.'

'I'll do it.' Mai's voice caused them all to turn towards her in surprise.

'No offense Mai, but right now you're the last person who should.' Téa shook her head. 'You're still weak from what Marik did to you and after all the trouble Joey went through to save you...'

'You don't need to baby me. I can do this.'

'No you can't Mai,' Serenity shot her a pleading look. 'And anyway I want to do it. He's my brother, it should be me.'

'I don't think so Serenity.' Téa folded her arms. 'I'm the best candidate here.'

'I don't care who the best candidate is,' Mai pulled herself to her feet, 'I'm the one who owes Joey so I should be the one to do it.'

'No...'

'Calcanto!'

The sudden rush of the word by the three body swappers made Téa jump. Everyone's attention then turned towards them as they exchanged looks with each other.

'It should be Mai.' Simüte-Joey's face filled with a curious look.

'I can agree with that,' Lillyannu-Catilin turned to her Khine, 'what about you?'

'The spirit is weak, the body is not,' Catilin-Tristan tilted his head to one side. 'The strength... the connection... it's deep... deeper than anything. It existed then and it exists now. It's different but it's there. Mai is the one.'

'You can't be serious,' Téa felt a streak of fear and anger run through her, 'Mai's in no state to do anything.'

'So much you don't know,' Catilin-Tristan reached out and stroked Téa cheek, 'so so much. Some connections shift, some stay the same, but you always, always have to have faith in them.'

'What on earth are you talking about?'

'The connection, you're the one,' Catilin-Tristan moved herself to Mai's side. 'You're the one. Remember you're the one.' Their eyes met briefly. 'The connections have all shifted, but they're all still strong. You're the one.'

Mai's whole being shuddered. Her head rolled back onto her shoulders, which then both jerked in opposite directions. After a moment her eyes lifted slowly to meet with the others.

'This is so weird.'

'Joey?' Serenity took a cautious step towards her.

'Yeah it's me.' Joey-Mai stared at her hands for a moment, before spotting what she was wearing. 'Err, I know we should get going, but does anyone mind if I get into a pair of trousers first. I know I'm in Mai's body, but I'm not going anywhere in this skirt.'

* * *

With the bag containing the Millennium Necklace, Ring and Rod on his shoulder, Yoam stood in the desolate wasteland beside his four body swapped companions. Serenity and Téa had been left behind to keep an eye on Duke. Yoam's eyes turned towards Lillyannu-Catilin, her Khine's body might have shared her looks, but didn't have the same elegance or grace. Yoam wasn't sure how he felt about that, but he was sure of his feelings for her. His memory might have failed him, but his feelings had never altered. Now more than ever he wanted to spend an eternity with her, but he something told him he may never get that chance.

Suppressing these feelings he turned his attention back towards the wasteland. They had a job to do and until it was done nothing else should matter.

'So where do we need to go from here?' Joey-Mai frowned as her eyes scanned the wasteland.

'To the place it all began and where it will begin again,' Catilin-Tristan gave a strange half laugh. 'Compano Litini Crystella Moki Lunus; the place where the Shadows became the Light.'

'You're with us right now then,' Joey-Mai's face pulled into a half smile.

'It's less confusing here.'

'That's the effect of this place,' Lillyannu-Catilin half closed her eyes. 'My father used to find it easier to control his condition when he was here. Not that he was able to be here all that often.'

'Control it, but not make it go away, right?' Joey-Mai flicked his gaze towards her. 'Even living here she's still going to need a lot of help.'

'You mean once we've restored this place to the beautiful paradise it should be, right?' Simüte-Joey folded his arms. 'No one could live here. This place is death right now.'

'I've been living here,' Catilin-Tristan began walking.

'What?' Simüte-Joey started after her, prompting the others to do the same.

'For a while now. I don't remember why, but... I just started living here. I had to be away from people.'

'Away from people?' Lillyannu-Catilin fell into step beside her.

'I don't know why.' A frown appeared on Catilin-Tristan's face. 'I didn't want to be alone, but I felt somehow I needed to be. It was all confusing. I was confused and this place made sense to me. Then Mai was here and everything became confusing again.'

'You've had no one to ground you, have you?'

'There's been someone,' a soft smile pulled at Catilin-Tristan's lips, 'he looks after me, but... I don't see him much. I wish I could see him more... I get so lonely.'

'Active Calicaccus shouldn't be left alone,' Lillyannu-Catilin made a disapproving cluck with her tongue. 'They need interaction with living people to keep them grounded.' Her eyes turned towards Joey-Mai. 'You'll have to make sure there's always someone to take care of her, at least until she's a bit more stable.'

'You mean she won't always be as bad as she is right now?' Joey-Mai examined her for a moment.

'The isolation has done her no favours, but nothing that can't be reversed. She will never be completely stable, but... she won't always be as bad as this.'

'Look, none of this is important right now.' Simüte-Joey pulled ahead of them. 'We have a job to do and our destination is right there.' He pointed towards a large rock.

'Hey, I know that place.' Joey-Mai gave a shocked half laugh.

'Of course you know that place,' Simüte-Joey grinned back at him, 'you're a Lutoni.'

* * *

Kaiba had been almost disappointed when Mokuba had become compliant to Bakura again. Whatever mind controlling influence he was under had to be strong. But nothing was so strong Kaiba couldn't find a way of breaking it. After all, if Joey had been able to shake off Marik's supposedly all powerful control then his brother would have no problem with Bakura's.

The argument between Mokuba and Bakura had ended with them both forcing Kaiba to start walking through the gloomy wasteland they were in. It didn't matter how far they took him or how endless the landscape appeared, he wasn't going to be easily convinced that this was anything other than a trick. It just wasn't possible for them to leave the airship midflight and he wasn't for a second going to buy the magic explanation.

'I'm getting bored now,' Kaiba folded his arms, 'is there going to be a point to any of this soon?'

'I don't know whether its faith or patience you need more right now Kaiba,' Bakura smirked, 'but either way you'd be good to keep quiet. You're only here because I need you here.'

'And I told you I'm not going to work with you. It's not my problem you're too weak to do this alone.'

'Then why not just leave?'

'Why not just release my brother?'

'Well that's an angle I'd never considered,' Bakura chuckled darkly, 'maybe you're not such a lost cause after all.'

'Whatever. Can we just get this over with already?'

'Because you're bored or because you're afraid.'

'None of this is real so what is there to be afraid of?'

'Not getting your brother back.'

'What?'

'I thought that might grab your attention.' Bakura's face filled with a cruel smile. 'It would appear there is a brother shape kink in your resolve and I am not above exploitation. So you may well be working with me after all Kaiba, because I might not be giving you a choice.'

* * *

Joey-Mai was the first to spot them. After getting over the surprise of seeing Bakura, he was filled with this childish need to taunt the approaching party.

'Hey,' he waved both his arms in an overly dramatic gesture, 'what took you guys so long? We've been waiting here for ages.'

'I see you decided to accept my invitation.' Bakura focused his attention of Lillyannu-Catilin and Simüte-Joey. 'Although I probably should have told you it was a private invitation.'

'I'm sorry, is this not private enough for you? I would have come in my own body, but since you gave it away to someone else...'

'Catilin?' Nicolie-Mokuba frowned at him.

'Veronie,' he forced himself to use the name to avoid any taunting from Kaiba later. 'And since I'm the one you actually need here, I would think a little more respect would be in order.'

'Need you?' Bakura laughed. 'Why would we need you?'

'Because I'm the only one who can restore this place and reawaken my people.' Joey-Mai held firm. 'What's the matter, did someone forget to mention that?'

'Nicolie?' Bakura shot a look in Nicolie-Mokuba's direction.

'He's bluffing,' Nicolie-Mokuba shook his head, 'it's the Lutoni blood we need.'

'No its not, it's the Lutoni.' Simüte-Joey smirked. 'You need Veronie, not me.'

'Fine then Veronie, awaken this place.' Bakura glared at Joey-Mai.

'I...' Joey-Mai blinked back at him.

'What's the matter Veronie,' Nicolie-Mokuba moved towards him, 'don't you know how?'

'I...'

'He knows.' Simüte-Joey blocked Nicolie-Mokuba's path. 'You know,' he glanced back towards Joey-Mai. 'Trust yourself.'

'But I...'

'You know Veronie, trust me. It's there inside of you, you just have to concentrate or not concentrate, whatever works for you.'

'How can you be so sure, when I'm not?'

'Because you're a Lutoni.'

'Is that you're reason for everything?' Nicolie-Mokuba shook his head. 'Being a Lutoni isn't anything special you know. Not like being an Ashmar.'

'You're wrong,' Lillyannu-Catilin took a step towards him, 'the Lutonis have something none of the other houses do. The Ashmars were born to lead, but the Lutonis were born for so much more than that. Why do you think our two houses have always been so close?'

'Tradition...'

'No. The Ashmars need the Lutonis, because our people need the Lutonis. You can do this Veronie,' she turned her gaze towards Joey-Mai, 'you can do this because you're a Lutoni and because we all have faith in you. Now you concentrate on that, whilst we deal with Baraku.'

* * *

That was Yoam's cue. He dropped his bag to the floor and pulled out the Millennium Items contained within.

'What's this?' Bakura cocked an eyebrow. 'Don't tell me you've decided to make my job easier for me Pharaoh.'

'Hardly.' Yoam met his gaze. 'Last I checked there were only two people capable of using all seven of these and you weren't one of them.'

'But Yoam is,' Lillyannu-Catilin moved towards him, 'and he is going to use their power to seal you away for good.'

'I don't think so,' Bakura lowered his head and smirked, 'you see I might not be an expert on all seven items, but I do know one thing, four items is not enough.'

'So? It's enough to stop you for now.'

'But not seal me away for good. You'll need the other three items for that and trust me you're never going to find the seventh.'

'What do you know about it Bakura?' Yoam glared at him.

'Enough to know this isn't the end of me. This is barely the beginning.'

'Why aren't you fighting this?' Simüte-Joey frowned at him. 'We've told you we're going to seal you away and you're practically lying back and letting us. I don't get it.'

'You're not meant to.' Bakura's gaze focused on the Pharaoh. 'Do you remember what I told you about Hamen, Pharaoh? That he's the one you should fear, even above me. Well I wasn't lying then and I'm not lying now.'

'Are you saying Hamen is back too?' Yoam gritted his teeth.

'No, I'm saying he will be. And without the seventh item, when he returns so shall I.'

'So you're just giving up?' Kaiba snorted. 'No wonder you were practically begging me to work with you; you're too weak to do anything by yourself and you know it.'

'That's not the reason Kaiba,' Bakura turned towards him.

'Sure as hell looks like the reason to me.'

'Believe what you like Kaiba, but then I suspect you always will.' Bakura lowered his head and smirked. 'But just a friendly little warning before I go, a man without faith will always lose.'

'I guess that must mean you're a man without faith,' Kaiba rolled his eyes.

'Oh I have faith, Kaiba, more faith than you'll ever be capable of. But the truth is without a body of my own I don't have the strength to fight off your sealing technique,' his eyes met with Yoam's. 'Although if I'm being honest this situation plays into my hands anyway. You see without Hamen there's only so much I can achieve, so I always knew I would have to bide my time somehow and inside the ring I can learn more about those items than you could possible hope to. So seal me away Pharaoh,' he chuckled, 'just know when you're doing so you're also sealing your own doom.'

* * *

He didn't know when the thoughts in his head had become so still and dreamlike. One minute he'd been listening to the others exchanging words with Bakura, the next he found himself sat in front of the most beautiful little flower he'd ever seen. Its stem was so green and its petals so white it almost didn't look real. He reached a hand out towards it almost expecting his hand to go through it as he did. It didn't. The flower was really there and it really was too beautiful to be believed.

The still silence which formed around him didn't bother him at all. He was far too enthralled with the flower itself. It was strange. He'd never known anything to capture his imagination like this before. And it did capture his imagination, so much so he began humming a simple little tune; a tune which felt so new and yet so familiar at the same time. He hummed it several times before words formed in his mouth and he began to sing.

'Maiyemai mai lus flitaya, maiyemai lu kiaya. Van etay sai mai flitaya, maiyemai lu kiaya. Maiyemai lu kiaya om eehya. Maiyemai lu kiaya om eehya. Maiyemai mai lus flitaya, maiyemai lu kiaya.'

Almost as soon as his song was finished the flower started to wilt. Panic beat its way through his chest. The flower couldn't die. The flower wasn't allowed to die. He looked around for something to save it, but there was nothing. The flower continued to wilt and his heart started to break. Nothing had ever affected him on this level before, but not one inch of him found it strange. From his overwhelming grief a single tear rolled down his cheek and dropped silently onto the earth.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

'I'm sorry marana,' Nicolie-Mokuba lowered his head, the second Bakura had been sealed away, 'but if I didn't...'

'He would have just found someone else.' Lillyannu-Catilin sighed. 'I'm disappointed in you Nicolie, but I can't fault your motives.'

'I just want my name restored and no one else to get hurt.'

'Well, with any luck soon you'll have both,' her eyes turned towards Joey-Mai who appeared to be sitting in some kind of trance.

'I'm getting really tired of this now,' Kaiba turned towards Nicolie-Mokuba. 'When are you lot going to stop with all this fairytale nonsense...'

'You just saw Yoam seal Baraku into the Millennium Ring and you're still calling it fairytale nonsense?' Nicolie-Mokuba cut him off.

'Just because their tricks are a little less cheap than usual, doesn't mean there anything more than tricks. Now come back to your senses Mokuba.'

'I'm...'

'Hey is that grass?' Catilin-Tristan's sudden question made everyone jump.

'Grass? What? Where?' Lillyannu-Catilin's eyes darted around.

'There,' he pointed towards where Joey-Mai was sitting. 'It is grass, it is, look!'

From its humbly slow beginnings the patch of grass began to spread like wildfire. Within a matter of minutes the wasteland transformed into a magnificently beautiful landscape, but it wasn't just the trees and flowers which returned. In the distance Nicolie-Mokuba could make out the glistening of water as well as the rooftops of the nearest towns and cities. Pride swelled through him, making him feel stronger and more alive than he'd ever felt before in his life.

'Home,' his eyes glistened with tears, 'this is home.'

'The Ashmars are born leaders, but only the Lutonis have this power,' Catilin-Tristan took a deep breath in. 'Home. This is what it feels like to be home.'

'Your kingdom will be beautiful,' Lillyannu-Catilin placed a hand on his shoulder, 'more so than mine ever could have been. Trust your Lutoni and you will be a great leader, I promise.'

'I can do this,' he nodded.

'Right,' she turned her attention towards Nicolie-Mokuba, 'it's time everyone went home and by which I mean returned to their own bodies. Our task here is done...'

'Lilly,' Yoam cut her off, 'does that mean...'

'I wish it did my dear sweet prince, but it'll be a while before we can truly be reunited.'

'But...'

'My task is done, yours is not. The spell which refused me an afterlife no longer exists, so I will be waiting for you this time. Please don't keep me waiting for too long.'

'But Lilly...'

'I love you Yoam, but everyone needs to return to the place they belong.'

* * *

The second they arrived back on the airship, Kaiba had dragged Mokuba away from them as though he blamed them for what had happened. Tristan just rolled his eyes at his attitude. Bakura was right about him, it would take something pretty major, like a personality transplant, for Kaiba to believe in anything he didn't understand. Not that Tristan cared, the less they had to do with the Kaibas the better.

For half a second he felt his stomach buzz with dread, but he quickly managed to suppress that feeling. Instead he concentrated on the conversation now taking place around him.

'I don't understand big brother,' Serenity's face pulled into a worried look, 'you're a Lutoni now? What does that mean exactly?'

'That I no longer have to have anything to do with our parents,' Joey smirked, before noticing the expression Serenity was wearing. 'It also means I have a lot more power now. And...' he glanced towards Catilin, 'a lot more responsibility too.'

'I shouldn't be a responsibility,' Catilin lowered her gaze, 'I should be a queen.'

'It's okay, it can't be helped.'

'Since I'm your sister Joey, does that mean I'm a Silkoneon too?' Serenity studied her brother for a moment.

'I'm not sure,' he glanced towards Catilin. 'Is she?'

'It'll take a while for everyone to be identified,' Catilin's face filled with a weak smile, 'but it's unlikely I'm afraid.'

'Oh.' Serenity turned away.

'I'm sorry.'

'It's not your fault. And it's not like I'm never going to see Joey again, right?'

'Right.' Joey grinned at her. 'So what exactly does happen now?' His gaze went back to Catilin.

'We need to call a Carnitatan,' Catilin pressed her lips together. 'Lilly's father might have hidden his active Calicaccu status from everyone, but I'm not sure it's right for me to do the same. It's pretty clear I'm not as stable as he was. Or even as stable as I thought I was. And even if that wasn't an issue a Carnitatan needs to be called.'

'So that everybody's on the same page about this whole reawakening thing, right?'

'So that's it then, you're taking Joey and leaving?' Tristan folded his arms as he once again had to suppress the bad feeling in his stomach.

'It won't be forever,' Catilin laughed, 'it'll just be a few hours. Then we'll probably both be back.'

'Why both of you?'

'Because of your friend Duke,' her eyes settled on him for a moment. 'He's still in trouble and I wouldn't feel right if I didn't try to help him.'

'You say that as though you think you're responsible somehow.' Tristan half glared at her.

'Tristan,' Joey shot him a warning look, 'I don't like what you're implying here.'

'I'm not implying anything. I'm just... uncomfortable with this whole situation.'

'It's because there's something different about you,' Catilin reached a hand out towards him and gently stroked the side of his face.

'Would people please stop saying that?' Tristan pulled away from her.

'It's the truth though, there is something about you.' She tilted her head in thought. 'You're probably just a Nethher though, so I wouldn't worry.'

'Oh yeah, give me a word I have no idea what it means and tell me not to worry about it,' Tristan rolled his eyes. 'Thanks.'

'Being a Nethher really isn't something to worry about. It makes you different, but not unique. I really wouldn't worry.'

'Would you stop saying that?'

'Sorry, I don't mean to make you angry.'

'Well then leave and I'm pretty sure my anger will stop.'

'Tristan,' Joey glared at him.

'I'm sorry; I didn't mean it to sound that way.' Tristan turned away from him. 'Now would you just go already?'

'Now you want to get rid of me?'

'The sooner you're gone, the sooner you're back, right?'

'Tristan...?'

'Look, just get going already, would you? Right now all you're doing is wasting time.'


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

Joey turned a slow circle as he examined the inside of the large, open room they were in. For a room stacked full of musty old scrolls it was unbelievably beautiful. The smell and the feel of the place made his heart race with anticipation, but this anticipation also ticked over with a strange and certain kind of knowledge.

'This isn't the Carnitatan Catilin,' Joey placed a hand on her shoulder, half afraid she'd forgotten what they were supposed to be doing.

'I know,' Catilin grinned at him, 'this is where I've been staying. He... the one who's been looking after me... he said it made sense for me to stay here rather than in the Northern Palace.'

'Why?'

'To give me something to do, I think.' Catilin's eyes flicked about for a moment. 'I've been busy translating the texts in here. I... I don't know why I thought it was useful but... Well, it felt like the right thing to do.'

'Okay...' Joey frowned. 'So why are we here?'

'Tristan.'

'What?'

'Tristan doesn't trust me, I can tell. I thought... Well there might be something useful here. Something which can help Duke.' Catilin's face took on an almost distant expression for a moment. 'I really want to help Duke, I'm not sure why, but I feel like I need to. I feel responsible.'

'What happened to him wasn't your fault.'

'Maybe, but... I get this feeling.' Catilin turned away from him. 'My mind's not... I mean... It's so confusing,' she pressed the fingers of her right hand to her temple. 'Everything was so confusing when Mai was here. What if I did something? Something I don't remember. Something that makes me responsible.'

'What happened to him wasn't your fault Catilin.' Joey took hold of her shoulders. 'I promise you.'

'What if you're wrong?' She pulled away from him. 'What if I'm wrong? I shouldn't be a leader... I shouldn't...'

Her whole body began to tremble uncontrollably and as she fell to her knees Joey took hold of her again. Inside his chest he felt his heart pounding with fear. He could sense something was about to happen, something he wasn't ready to deal with. He swallowed hard and prayed there was still enough time to turn it around.

'Catilin,' he kept his voice as firm as possible, 'Catilin stay with me. You have to stay with me. I don't know how to get to the Carnitatan, remember? You have to show me the way.'

'We... we need the books first...' Catilin's voice trembled around the edges. 'I... I might forget them after.'

'Okay, we'll get the books first. But you're going to have to tell me which ones. I don't know this place like you do.'

'It's bad. It's bad. It's...'

'Cat I need you to stay with me.' Joey tightened his grip on her. 'I need you to tell me what books I need. What books might help Duke. You do want to help Duke, right?'

'Yes... yes... have to... have to make it less bad.'

'Then I need you to stay with me, okay? I need you to pull back from this.'

'But it's so bad... it's so bad...' Catilin's eyes began flicking from side to side as though they could see something he couldn't. 'What did I do...? I don't understand... what did I do...?'

'You didn't do anything Catilin. I need you to stay with me.'

'I... I... I...' She closed her eyes as her body started convulsing.

'Catilin,' not sure what else to do, Joey wrapped his arms around her.

For what felt like an age her body jerked and twitched as she whimpered quietly. When it came to a stop he could feel her rest her body against him and sigh.

'I'm sorry...' the word pushed its quiet way out of her.

'For what?' Joey stroked her hair.

'For being so scary,' she slowly peeled herself away from him. 'I don't like it when it overwhelms me like that. Come on,' her voice was dull and dry, 'let's see if we can find anything useful.'

With a muted kind of energy, she led him across the room towards a table in the far corner. Beneath the table were several plastic boxes filled with books. For a moment Catilin ignored these and picked up one of the scrolls on the table.

'These symbols make up the written language known as Ode,' she indicated to the writing on the scroll. 'Like Etean, Ode is a root of all languages. I'm not saying they're the only roots, just the oldest. But just as Etean can be used as a universal translator, Ode can... Ode can do this.'

She placed the scroll back on the table before moving her hand across it. This transformed the Ode symbols into English letters. She then moved her hand back across the scroll, reversing what she'd done.

'Wow,' Joey couldn't help but feel impressed, 'that's...'

'I know, but... it only works if you understand both Ode and the language you're translating into.' Catilin's face filled with a weak smile. 'The scrolls can't leave here, you understand that right?'

'I figured as much.'

Catilin bent down and pulled one of the plastic boxes out from under the table. She then dug through the books, clearly looking for one in particular.

'I'd like to say copying the scrolls has kept me sane, but I don't think it has,' she pressed her lips together as she continued her search. 'They're in English, because that's my native tongue. It's not that I don't like writing in Ode, it's just... Well I get confused and sometimes it's hard to remember what I'm doing. Here it is,' she pulled out one of the larger books, 'there's something in this one about the Boy. I... I don't know how useful it will be, but it's better than nothing. You should... you should take it to your friends now. Then come back here for me and... and we'll go to the Carnitatan.'

'Okay Cat,' he nodded, 'I promise I won't be long.'

* * *

The Boy looked like a lost and frightened child when the Slut and the Prophet finally found him. In an almost uncharacteristic role reversal the Slut kept herself at a distance, whilst the Prophet rushed to the Boy's side. Without hesitation she picked him up and held him close to her.

'And you can't show me that kind of affection because...?'

'Ca pa Slut, can't you see the Boy needs me?'

'I guess that would depend on why he needs you,' the Slut focused her attention on the Boy. 'So is he dead then? Did your game satisfy you?'

'Ca pa Slut, this is not the time.'

'I beg to differ,' the Slut folded her arms. 'I know you have this blind spot for him, but these questions need to be asked. So Boy, did you kill him?'

For a few long moments the Boy stared at her. Then he sighed and moaned and buried his face in the Prophet's shoulder.

'They spoilt my fun,' the Boy whined. 'Duke was about to give me my name and they spoilt my fun.'

'Good.'

'There's no need to be so cold Slut,' the Prophet glared at her.

'Would you rather Duke was dead?'

'No, but he doesn't understand what he did or why he did it. You're being too harsh.'

'You're wrong Prophet; I'm not being harsh enough. The problem is I don't know how to be any harsher. That's your role, not mine. You wouldn't give a second thought about bringing your wrath down on any of the others, why is he so special to you?'

'What's the matter Slut, jealous?'

'Of course I'm jealous; I'm the one you were made to be with. I'm the one who should be that special to you. So why aren't I?'

'None of you need me like the Boy does,' the Prophet turned her head away.

'How can you still not get it? I need you more than he does.' The Slut sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. 'I guess it's time to report this back to the Original.'

'Do we really need to? I mean, the Boy didn't finish his game, so...'

'Duke is going to be changed because of the Boy and only the Original will know how badly he'll be affected.' The Slut shrugged. 'But it's not just that. I... I also get this feeling she needs to know about Tristan.'

'You got that feeling too,' the Prophet glanced back towards her. 'I was hoping I was just being overcautious.'

'There's something different about him. I don't know what it is, but... the Original needs to know and that means she needs to know everything.'

'He's probably just going to turn out to be a Nethher you know.'

'I know, but I want to cover our backs just in case.'

* * *

The silence all around her made it hard for her to ignore the approaching footsteps. She closed her eyes and breathed in. His scent was unmistakable. It filled her with curiously mixed feelings. For half a second she almost wanted him to turn around and leave again, but if he did that...

'Octan,' the name breathed its way out of her.

'I forget that you can tell the difference.' His voice was soft, but firm and lilted in a way the other one's never was.

'Octan Tessin Cayta, the Desmitus who faced the Boy.' She gave a strange half laugh. 'Did you know he'd been out to play again?'

'I know.'

'Was it something I did?'

'Jenna...'

'Don't call me that,' her whole body cringed. 'I can't stand the sound of that name. Not anymore. Not anymore. It's not me anymore. There is no more Jenna. She's gone. She's gone.'

'I'm sorry, I...'

'Why... why are you mocking me? Why are you here?'

'Because I had to see you. I know the reawakening wasn't your fault, but it shouldn't have happened. We talked about this; you're in no fit state to rule.'

'Lilly said I can do it.'

'Well Lilly doesn't know you, I do.'

'I thought you were my friend; you've taken so much care of me. I know it will be hard, but I can do this. You have to trust me.'

'Don't you understand,' Octan's voice breathed into her ear, 'it's not you I don't trust.'

'Octan...' she spun round to face him, but he was already gone.

A strange feeling shifted through the pit of her stomach. It made her whole being feel uncomfortable somehow as she thought about Octan's final words. If it wasn't her, then who? Who was it he didn't trust?

* * *

Joey had pretty much planned to drop the book off and leave again, but the momentary normality of being with his friends again begged him to stay. Somewhere deep inside of him he knew it had something to do with Catilin's _episode_. Even though he'd tried to act calm about it at the time, it had still freaked him out. He needed to distract himself from it for just a little while, before getting back to anything more complicated.

'So what does the book say?' Joey attempted to read the book over Yugi's shoulder. 'Is it any good?'

'Well it begins with a list of victims and something called ammovate.'

'That's what Catilin said I was, right Joey?' Tristan leant over Yugi's other shoulder.

'Yeah, I think so.' Joey nodded. 'What else does it say Yugi?'

'It was one of the ammovates who was eventually responsible for stopping the Boy's reign of terror.' Yugi traced his finger along the line he was reading. 'It says something about him going on to become the Mistresses' Helper, whatever that means. It also says something about him being granted a second chance of life, but it doesn't really explain how or why.'

'Does it say anything about this second life of his?'

'Not really,' Yugi shook his head. 'Only that once this second chance of his died the Mistresses regained their Helper.'

'So who exactly are these Mistresses and what the hell do they need a Helper for anyway?' Tristan frowned.

'Again it doesn't say.'

'Well this text is just a barrel of information, isn't it?' He rolled his eyes. 'And Catilin thought this would be useful to us how?'

'Tristan...' Joey was getting a little tired of his friend's attitude.

'Hey I'm just voicing the opinions of the group here.'

'No, you're assuming the opinions of the group. Yugi hasn't finished reading yet, there could still be something useful.'

'Joey's right,' Yugi flicked his gaze towards Tristan, 'this next passage looks a little more useful. Well, hopefully, I mean so far it is talking about the one surviving victim.'

'And with that I guess I should head back to Catilin,' Joey gave a heavy sigh. 'I'll check back with you guys once I'm done for real. And hopefully at that point Tristan will have learnt to trust her a little.'

'I doubt it.' Tristan rolled his eyes.

'Well start doubting it, because either you start trusting her by the time I get back or I'm going to beat trust into you.'

'Because nothing says trust the insane girl more than violence.'

'Tristan!'

'I'm sorry Joey, there's just something about her. I can't put my finger on what it is exactly, I just know... I'm not sure what I know. I just...' Tristan gripped the material above his stomach.

'There really is something strange about you,' Joey studied him for a moment, 'and it's called paranoia. You don't trust Catilin because you don't know her, so just trust me when I tell you she's a good person. Sure she has her problems...'

'By which you mean she's a total basket case.'

'By which I mean she's a little unstable. That's not her fault.'

'Yeah and it also doesn't mean I have to like her.'

'Tristan...'

'Just get back to her already Joey, I'm sure you have more important things to do than hang around here arguing with me. You can't force me to trust her.'

'No, but I can try.'

'Whatever Joey, will you just get back to her already.'

'Fine,' Joey couldn't help but feel a little put out, 'I'll see you guys later.'

* * *

The second he entered the Carnitatan, Joey's anger and frustration at Tristan vanished. The place was huge; far too big for the number of people who used it. It made him feel small and insignificant somehow. His eyes turned towards Catilin. For a moment she looked just as freaked out as he did, but then her expression became more confident and Joey felt somehow reassured her sanity was going to hold out.

'Carnitatans don't get held very often,' she tilted her head to one side.

'I guess I should be grateful for that then.'

'We both should. This situation isn't ideal, but Lilly was right; I wouldn't have the Lunus Crystella if I wasn't meant to do this.'

'Do you want me to address them for you or...?'

'I have to do this myself,' Catilin sighed, 'it's the only way they'll respect me.'

'Well I'll be at your side, no matter what.'

'I know,' she smiled at him, 'you wouldn't be a Lutoni else. Now, we should take our seats and get this over with.'

'And then never again, right?'

'No promises, but... yeah I hope so.'

* * *

This was a disaster no matter how he tried to look at it. The Mistresses were not going to be happy with him and that was just the least of his problems.

'Octan we shouldn't be here.'

'Why not?' He leant back against the wall behind him. 'Just because the Carnitatan is only supposed to be the Odraian and Silkoneon rulers, doesn't mean we don't have a right to be here too.'

'We have no right to be here Octan and you know it.'

'But do you?' Octan gave a strange half laugh. 'You're the reason I'm here you know.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'You're the one who wanted to protect her.'

'So did you.'

Octan laughed again but said nothing. He'd spent too much time and energy hiding the truth from him to give anything away now.

'Why did you convince me to help you isolate her Octan?'

'Because it was for her own good.'

'No, no it wasn't; it made her worse. Do you know how much it hurt me to see her falling apart like that?'

'Of course I know. I know exactly how you feel, remember?'

'Yeah and the same goes for you. You've been hiding something from me and...'

'Shut up.'

'Octan...'

'I said shut up Jay.'

'I'll get the truth out of you eventually Octan and when I do...'

'You can't threaten me Jay.'

'Maybe not, but if you've hurt her in any way I'll never forgive you.' Jay's voice was deadly serious. 'And since you'll know exactly how I feel that will be punishment enough.'


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

'It says here the last victim of the Boy was brought out of his comma by someone named Octan Tessin Cayta and by the looks of it he was also the ammovate who stopped the Boy.'

'That's the guy who went on to be the Mistresses Helper, right?' Téa frowned. 'So I guess that means he's still around somewhere.'

'Well I guess there's a chance he might be, but I doubt anyone could guarantee it.'

'What about the victim themselves, does the book tell you if they were okay afterwards?'

'Not really.' Yugi shook his head. 'All it says is that it took time, whatever that means.'

'So assuming this guy is still around, how do we contact him?' Tristan folded his arms.

'I guess we'll have to ask Catilin about that when she gets back.'

'Great,' Tristan stretched out the word as far as he possibly could.

'You really don't like her, do you?' Téa shot Tristan a look.

'About as much as I would like any complete psychopathic stranger who's arrival suddenly makes my life a misery. I mean, hell, Noah caused me less problems than Catilin has so far and he turned me into a robot-monkey.'

'Catilin's not evil.'

'How do we know? We thought Namu wasn't evil and he turned out to be Marik Ishtar.'

'As far as I can tell Catilin wasn't the reason all that crazy stuff happened to you today.' Téa cocked an eyebrow at him.

'Maybe not, but it did start after she turned up and I'm not one for believing in coincidence.'

'Hey guys there's more information here about Octan,' Yugi interrupted their argument.

'What is it?'

'Well next to every appearance of his name there was this weird reference mark, so I thought I would skip through the book and see if I could find out what it meant. You know, in case it was something useful.'

'And is it?' Tristan studied him for a moment.

'I'm not sure,' Yugi frowned. 'It says here that Octan was one of the Desmitus.'

'The what?'

'The Desmitus; those born without a trace. Apparently the most famous was a girl called Juniper Nutmeg Squirrel who married into the Odraian royal family. According to this her blood runs through the veins of the four head Silkoneon houses. It also says she was the last Desmitus to appear before the Silkoneons arrived.'

'I don't really care about this Juniper girl, what I want to know is what _those born without a trace _mean?' Tristan leant over his shoulder again.

'It says something about people believing them to be the children of the gods. And normally the child of the god who's temple they were found near.'

'So if a parent abandons their child close to a temple they become a Desmitus and someone else problem?' Tristan pulled back again.

'I think there's more to it than that Tristan. It says here they were also afforded unique abilities normal Odraians didn't have.'

'Okay fine, so they were special, that still doesn't mean they didn't have mortal parents. And mortal parents of the abandoning kind at that.'

'From what the Pharaoh knows of the Odraians and the Silkoneons, I don't think the Desmitus were just abandoned children Tristan.'

'Whatever, can you just get back to seeing if there's any way of helping Duke in there.'

'And the tetchiness award goes to...' Téa shot him yet another look. 'Seriously Tristan, just what is your problem today?'

'The real question Téa is just what isn't my problem today.' Tristan massaged his temples. 'Maybe I am just being tetchy and paranoid and unreasonable, but that's just the kind of day I've been having _and_ I just get this really bad feeling in my stomach that it's going to get worse. Because, let's face it, the day's not over yet.'

* * *

Joey's eyes turned over the excited group of teenagers around him. The average age of the Carnitatan appeared to be fifteen and the girl to boy ration was just about even. After ten minutes of introduction the group settled and the first Carnitatan of a new generation was finally called to order.

'So what's our first objective?' An over eager Odraian started.

'Objective? Mann, what do you think this is, a video game?' Another laughed.

'No, but well, what would you call it? I mean, I dunno, I'm just so… I mean.' She blushed. 'Ignore me.'

'Will do.'

'Now really Vinto that is no way to behave.' Cayoon, the Odraian queen, narrowed her gaze on him. 'Like the rest of us the head of the Temple of Sta is just excited, aren't you Mayena?'

'Yes,' Mayena's face reddened further, 'that's it.'

'You're a ditz,' Vinto smirked at her, 'a complete and utter ditz.'

'She may be a ditz but she's still acting with more dignity than you are right now Vinto.' Cayoon folded her arms. 'I know you're both young, but you're both heads of your Temples and you both need to start acting like it.'

'Head of the Temple of Fray,' Vinto shook his head, 'just last week my English teacher is sending me off for a dyslexia test and now I'm Head of the Temple of Fray. Doesn't that mean I'm supposed to be good at this whole language thing?'

'Each Temple Head was chosen by the gods,' Timotee sent a weak half smile in his direction, 'just because their logic doesn't make much sense to us right now, doesn't mean it's wrong.'

'But I'm just a kid.'

'We're all just kids,' Joey leant back in his seat and folded his arms, 'that's kind of the point. We don't have the same hang-ups about finding this kind of thing out that an adult might have. But those same strengths are also our greatest weaknesses if we don't learn to pull together.'

'Spoken like a true Lutoni, I think,' Mayena smiled at him.

'Look, we all know it's probably going to take a few months for this whole situation to settle down.' Joey tilted his head in thought. 'For a start we all have to learn about our new identities, about our past and make decisions about our future. This is not the same world our ancestors lived in and we're not the same people our ancestors were.'

'State the obvious why don't you,' Daxenell, the red headed boy who was head of the Temple of Du, rolled his eyes.

'Then allow me to state something none of you Odraians appear to have considered yet.' Joey glared at him. 'The relocation we're all going to have to make to Sil.'

'What?'

'Don't you get it? In order for our two people to re-establish themselves again, we're all going to have to live here.'

'But this is the Silkoneons homeland,' Kimotay shot to her feet, 'there isn't enough room for all of us.'

'You're wrong, there is. At least there is right now and probably for a few generations too.' Joey met her gaze. 'It's one of the memories Simüte left me with. When our two peoples were hidden away all of our important buildings and Temples on Earth were moved here because Simüte knew this homeland couldn't just belong to the Silkoneons anymore. Not if both breeds were going to survive the reawakening. Nivia, JSN, Mayena, Twell, Rhydell, Daxenell, Vinto and Queen Cayoon, as the Lutoni and the father of the Silkoneon homeland I invite your people to join us.'

'On behalf of my people, I accept,' Cayoon nodded at him. 'But I get the feeling there is a lot more to discuss before this Carnitatan comes to a close.'

'Then... before we get any further... it's my turn to speak,' Catilin rose to her feet. 'There is something you all need to know.'

'Then the Ashmar has the floor,' Cayoon nodded at her, 'please, feel free to speak.'

* * *

He'd come to the lake to clear his head. Water always did that for him, but then he had been found near the Temple of Piida, goddess of the sea. He hadn't been able to sit through the Carnitatan after all. Jay's feelings had overwhelmed him and forced him to seek solace here, but that solace was going to be short lived. No matter how much he might have longed for it, there was nowhere in the entire multiverse he could go to get away from Jay.

'You chose this Octan,' Jay's voice sounded from behind him, 'you chose me. I don't know what it is you're feeling so guilty about these days, but your choice brought us together, not mine.'

'So why do I suddenly have this desperate need to get rid of you, is that what you're asking?' Octan gave a muted half laugh. 'It's not you I want rid of Jay, it's me. I want you to be rid of me.'

'Well I'm sorry, but once again that's not my choice.'

'No, you're right, it was mine. But I only did what I did because I wanted to protect you.'

'Funny and here I thought it was because you wanted a second chance at life.' Jay's voice was toned with dry sarcasm.

'That was only part of the reason,' Octan lowered his head, 'and it doesn't mean I didn't want to protect you.'

'Yeah and a great job you did at that too.'

'Jay...'

'I'm sorry; I know I'm not being fair. But I hate it when you keep things from me.'

'I know.'

'So then why don't you just tell me what's going on? What's really going on I mean.'

'I can't. I promised the Mistresses.'

'I hate it when you say things like that; it makes me feel like we're not equals.'

'We're not equals Jay, you know that.'

'No, I know you like to think that because it makes all this so much easier for you. But the truth is we became equals the second you decided to _protect_ me. Whether you like it or not Octan, we're in this together.'

'Not this time, you can't know...'

'I can't know what?'

For a few long moments Octan was silent. Then a heavy sigh pushed its way out of him and his gaze turned back towards the lake.

'Jay, you were paying as much attention as I was before, right?'

'To what the Boy was up to you mean?' Jay's voice twinged with curiosity. 'It was hard not to. Whenever anything involving the Boy or the Nameless happens you take an interest. And if you take an interest then I have no choice.'

'Then you know we're going to have to go down there at some point.'

'To help the victim, yeah I figured as much. I was just waiting for you to get their permission.'

'And I will... soon,' Octan studied his reflection for a moment, 'but there's something else we'll need to do when we're down there.'

'What?'

'The ammovate...'

'What about him?'

'I... I want you to make contact with him for me.'

'Why?'

'Because I need to talk to him.'

'So... why are you getting me to?' Jay sounded more than a little confused.

'Because I...' Octan hesitated as he tried to find the right words, 'I need him to know about you. I need him to know who you are. To know why I felt the need to protect you.'

'I'm not sure I understand...'

'I... I just need him to know what kind of person you are before I can talk to him.'

'But Octan...'

'Could you for once just humour me Jay?'

Octan hadn't meant to snap at him, but once the words were out there was nothing he could do to take them back. A nervous squeal of laughter escaped Jay, breaking the tense silence which had descended around them.

'I always humour you Octan. Humour is my middle name, remember?' Jay's voice dripped with amusement. 'All this guilt you've been throwing my way has been making me feel a little too serious lately; it'll be nice to have some fun.'

* * *

The Carnitatan had gone on for what felt like an age. Joey left it feeling more than a little drained and from the looks of Catilin so had she. Between the two of them they'd managed to put up a pretty convincing united front and it felt good to know some things were instinctive.

'You did well.' Catilin smiled at him. 'I'm impressed, it couldn't have been easy for you, but you managed to take charge. I'm sure Simüte would have been proud.'

'I'm not so sure,' Joey ran his fingers back through his hair. 'I've got all of Simüte's ideas about how a proper Lutoni should act running through my head and I know helping you deal with being an active Calicaccu is going to make some of them redundant.'

'I'm sorry.'

'It's not your fault Cat,' he shrugged. 'I'm not going to be the Lutoni Simüte was, but I'm also not going to be his father either. I'll figure out my own way of being; it's all any of us can do right now.'

There were a few long moments of silence as the pair of them made their way through one of the fields near the Carnitatan. A part of Joey felt as though he should get back to his friends now, but a greater part of him needed to be here for a little while longer. Even though his head felt filled to the brim with knowledge, there was still so much he didn't understand about his people and the world they would soon start building for themselves.

'I'm sorry, this has all been a lot for you to take in, hasn't it?' Catilin suddenly brushed some of the hair back from his forehead. 'When I met you last night I had no intention for things to turn out this way. I just wanted...'

'You just wanted the confusion to go away.' Joey lowered his gaze. 'It's okay Cat, I don't blame you for any of this. A part of me's not sure I would know how; to blame you I mean. Which feels so stupid and perfectly reasonable at the same time.'

'I know what will cheer you up,' she grabbed a hold of his hand, 'come on, let me show you.'

In the blink of an eye Joey found himself stood in the courtyard of a large villa-like building. In the centre of the courtyard was a large flowerbed, half overrun with weeds. Seeing it gave Joey the sudden urge to grab some gardening tools and restore it to some kind of order. The urge in and of itself was so unexpected, he wasn't totally sure what to do with it. Beside him Catilin grinned at him and pulled him past the flowerbed towards the main steps leading into the villa.

'Welcome to your new home.'

'What?' Joey frowned at her.

'This is the Southern Palace, the traditional home of the Lutonis.'

'This is the Southern Place?' He suddenly felt overwhelmed again.

'All four Palaces have a similar layout,' Catilin tilted her head to one side, 'but each are unique in their own way. The Northern Palace of the Ashmars is the biggest. The Western Palace of the Odrays is the most ornate whereas the Eastern Palace of the Chaosa is the most organised, even in terms of layout. But the Southern Palace by far has the best gardens. Well,' her eyes glanced towards the flowerbed, 'they used to be. And no doubt will again.'

'This... this is all mine?' Joey was still finding it hard to grasp the concept. 'I'm going to live here?'

'Come on, let me show you round.'

Without waiting for a response, she pulled him up the black marble flight of stairs and through the exquisitely carved doors. The inside of the palace was beyond anything Joey could have possibly imagined. It wasn't so grand he couldn't see himself living there and he could tell if he did it was going to take a lot to get used to. There were so many long corridors, sections and levels. Too many for Joey to get his head around and he quickly became afraid of getting lost within the walls of his own palace.

'Of course you're going to have to appoint a household,' Catilin clapped her hands together with excitement as they entered the palace's surprisingly modest kitchen.

'A household?' Joey stared at her.

'You're not expecting to live here all by yourself, are you?'

'I...'

'It doesn't have to be a large household and you don't have to appoint them all right away, but there are certain positions you'll need filled.'

'I... I guess.'

'For a while I guess we'll be sharing a household,' Catilin's face twisted with thought, 'at least until I'm stabilised I mean. It'll help both of us out I think. You'll get to know what you need from a household and I can be reassured my household will be ready to take care of me when you feel I'm ready to live in the Northern Palace.'

'You're planning to stay here?' Joey hoped his words didn't sound as blunt as they felt.

'It makes more sense this way, doesn't it?'

'I guess.'

'Is something wrong?' Catilin frowned at him.

'This is all a little overwhelming.'

'I know, but you'll get used to it soon enough,' she grinned at him. 'Hey, I know what will cheer you up.' Without warning she took off.

A part of Joey really wished she hadn't done that. He also wished she hadn't made it out of the kitchen too quickly for him to see which direction she'd then taken. He felt kind of stupid, but he was too afraid of getting lost in his own palace to try and work out where she'd gone. Instead he took a seat at the kitchen table and waited for her return. Fortunately for him, Catilin didn't take long. Only now she was wearing a silver diadem curved down at the front to an exquisite purple drop jewel which hung centrally just above her eyebrows. There was a sly look on her face as she moved towards him; hands hidden behind her back.

'Do you like it?' Catilin giggled. 'The Ashmars' true crown was always the Lunus Crystella, but for special occasions a diadem made the people happy. Of course they weren't the only ones who got to wear a something glittery.' She revealed the plain, silver diadem she'd had hidden behind her back. 'This, my Lutoni, is yours.'

Joey reached out and took it off of her. The second he held it in his hands he felt a cold sweat move across his skin. He could handle being a Silkoneon. He could handle taking responsibility for Catilin. He could even handle being a Lutoni. But suddenly all the pomp and ceremony... all the palaces and crowns just felt too much for him.

'There's a mirror round here somewhere why don't you try it on?'

Catilin caught hold of his hand again and dragged him out of the kitchen and down the right hand corridor. They then entered one of the smaller bedrooms with an almost disproportionately large mirror. Catilin took the diadem out of his hand and placed it down on his head. She then stepped back so he could admire his reflection. It felt like he was looking at a stranger. If he'd ever wondered why the Lutonis chose to take a step back from all of the running of state, he didn't anymore. The weight of responsibility changed them into people they didn't recognise before they'd even noticed it happening.

Joey took the diadem back off of his head and placed it down on the nearby bed. His eyes turned towards Catilin and for the first time since they'd rescued Mai he realised just how much of a stranger she was to him. A stranger he was now agreeing to take a great deal of responsibility for. He wasn't ready and he had no idea what had made him think he was.

'Catilin,' his voice sounded as dry as his mouth felt, 'I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but could we please go back to my friends?'


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

'I know I said I wasn't going to ask again... well actually that's a lie, you just said you weren't allowed to tell, but...'

'Do you have a point to this Jay or are you just planning to tangent?'

'The Mistresses are worried about something and I'm not sure that something is just to do with the Boy.'

'It's nothing to concern yourself with Jay.'

'I'm sorry; could you say that in an even less convincing manner?' Jay gave a strange half laugh. 'There's no point in me repeating my _I know you're keeping something from me_ line, because we both already know you're keeping something from me. But I've never seen the Mistresses that worried, Octan I need to know what's going on.'

'Nothing that can't be contained.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'It doesn't matter.'

'Don't lie to me Octan and don't treat me like a child. I understand a hell of a lot more than you give me credit for. The Mistresses are really worried about something. And something tells me the reconnection of one of the six was not what they had planned when they got up this morning. So I need you to tell me, is Catilin in some kind of danger?'

'I don't know,' Octan's voice was calm but quiet. 'I'm not sure, but if she is then it's my fault and I'm sorry.'

'How is it your fault? Octan, what have you done?'

'If it becomes a problem then you'll find out, but until then stop asking questions about things which don't concern you.'

* * *

The airship had landed before Joey had returned again. Serenity had known this was a possibility, but she still couldn't help but feel disappointed. To cover that disappointment she helped the others get Duke safely to the nearest hospital. Whilst Tristan, Téa and Yugi took care of him, Serenity stayed with Mai as she received her own extensive check-up. Their prognosis was bed rest and plenty of it, with the promise that she'd seek a doctor's advice if the rest didn't help. Both of which Mai didn't appear particularly thrilled about.

Serenity and Mai then found out which room Duke was in and made their way there. By the time they arrived Tristan was nowhere to be seen, Téa was just arriving with snacks for everyone and Yugi's head was once again in the book Catilin had lent him.

'Where did Tristan go?' Serenity frowned as she settled herself on one of the room's chairs.

'For a walk,' Téa handed her a can of coke and a packet of crisps, 'he said he needed some air.'

'He has been wound a little tight today.' Mai sighed as she took a seat next to Serenity.

'I'm not sure I can blame him,' Serenity lowered her gaze, 'I mean, he has dealt with a lot more than the rest of us today.'

'Tristan's like Joey, they're both hard headed and stubborn,' Téa shrugged. 'He just gets wound up easily sometimes. I just wish he'd handled himself a little better with Catilin, she seems like a nice girl.'

'Yeah, I mean she did lend us that book to help Duke, right?'

'You can't totally blame him for his reaction though,' Mai took a long sip of her drink, 'she has just dropped herself right into the middle of your friendship circle and expected acceptance. Let's face it, if I'd tried to do that...'

'You weren't interested in doing that from what I remember.' Téa rolled her eyes.

'Still not totally convinced I am,' Mai smirked back at her, 'but maybe that's why I can understand Tristan feeling so threatened by her.'

'You think that's all it is?' Serenity tilted her head in thought.

'You think there's more to it than that?' Téa frowned.

'Well... I know I don't know Tristan as well as you guys do, but... there were times today when he just looked freaked out or uncomfortable. It was like he knew something the rest of us didn't.'

'I don't think that's possible.'

'Maybe, but don't you remember what Lilly and Catilin said about him? Maybe Tristan doesn't know what it is he knows, he just knows that he knows it. Err...' Serenity gave an embarrassed laugh, 'maybe I'm just over thinking this a little.'

'Now that I can agree with,' Téa opened her own can of drink and took a seat next to Yugi. 'Look, whatever's going on with him, I'm sure Tristan will be fine. Right now we have to worry about Duke.'

'Right,' Serenity's eyes turned towards their unconscious friend.

'So Yugi, any idea how we get hold of this Octan guy?'

* * *

Tristan didn't like just bailing on his friends, but after the day he'd had he needed a little space to clear his head. He made his way out of the hospital and into a local park. He then sat himself down on the back of one of the benches with his feet rested on the seat and spent a long time staring back at the hospital. The feeling of dread in his stomach stirred for a few minutes before settling. Unfortunately it didn't settle enough; he could still feel it there like a cold sweat in the deepest depths of his soul.

A shudder ran up and down his spine as he remembered what Joey had said whilst they were both trapped inside his mind. No matter how many times Tristan told himself Joey was just being paranoid, he couldn't shake the feeling he was right. That someone or something was watching him. It would more than explain the feeling of dread he was having, but at the same time...

The hospital loomed over him like some oppressive monster reminding him of everything he'd been through that day. Tristan got to his feet and began walking deeper into the park. Somehow the feeling he'd had to stay near the hospital in case his friends needed him just wasn't enough to keep him there anymore. After all if they did need him it would probably end up costing him more than he was willing to pay at that moment in time. Whatever joke the universe had put him at the centre of just wasn't funny anymore.

He'd been walking for about ten minutes when he felt the eerie presence of eyes watching him. He glanced about for a moment and wasn't sure whether or not to be relieved at the sight of a tall, athletic looking boy of about seventeen watching him from the shade of a nearby tree. There was something odd about the boy. For a start his eyes were a bright grass green, with the apparent ability to look piercingly serious and mysteriously wild at the same time. His reddish-blond hair was a floppy chin-length cut with the back of it pulled into a messy ponytail. His shirt and jeans style had a dated feel about them too, although Tristan couldn't quite put his finger onto why. But the single oddest thing about his appearance was the thick, brown leather headband around his head with the emblem of a hyena above the right eye.

The feeling of dread twitched inside Tristan's stomach like some kind of yo-yo as he and the boy just stood there staring at each other. Something was about to happen. Something big and unexplainable and no matter how much Tristan might have wanted to back away and leave this one well alone he knew he couldn't. Because the feeling inside of him, the one telling him something bad was going to happen, also told him there was no escaping this.

A small flicker of amusement appeared on the boy's face as he pulled himself away from the tree and began walking in the opposite direction. A groan escaped Tristan as he forced himself after the boy.

'Hey kid, wait up will you,' Tristan found himself half jogging to catch up to the boy.

'Are you sure you want that?' The boy kept walking. 'I mean, once I stop you're going to have to talk to me.'

'Yeah, yeah I know, but I guess I'm pretty resigned to that idea at this point.' Tristan sighed.

'Wow, check the enthusiasm in your voice. That's enough to make any guy want to stop and talk to you.'

'Look, I don't mean to sound rude but I've not exactly had a great day so far.'

'And you've convinced yourself that I'm here to make it worse?' The boy gave a squeal of hyena-like laughter and glanced over his shoulder at Tristan. 'Are you really sure you want me to stop and talk to you?'

'Look,' he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and forced them both to a stop, 'I think we both pretty much know I don't have a choice in this, do I? You're here because of me, right? Because my days been all kinds of hell and whether you mean to or not you're going to make it that much worse. This is just how things have been playing out for me today, so why don't we just cut the crap already. What is it you want from me?'

'Right now I guess I just need you to be willing to talk to me,' the boy turned round to face him, 'we'll have to see how it goes from there.'

* * *

Joey wasn't sure how, but Catilin had managed to convince him to stay in Sil just a little bit longer. Even though he was still freaking out a little about the massive responsibility which now rested on his shoulders, his greater concern was for Catilin. Her behaviour was becoming a little erratic again. Not in the spacey, drifting away from things sense it had before. No, her mind was sharp it just wasn't particularly focused.

It was like dealing with a hyperactive child. One minute she was pulling him in one direction, showing him the town which surrounded the Southern Palace and telling him all about the direct, if long, path between it and the Northern Palace. The next she was dragging him through fields and challenging him to races he could easily win. A part of him almost found himself enjoying this side of her. She was fun and lively and carefree, but Joey couldn't help but wonder if this was what she was like when she was stable or if it was just another side of her problem. Either way at that moment in time he wasn't sure he really cared. She might have been keeping him from his friends, but she was still giving him what he needed most at that moment in time; the chance to forget the weight of responsibility looming over him.

Her boundless energy led them into a beautiful forest. The scent of the place filled every single one of Joey's senses like nothing else ever had before. It was like he could feel the wolf in him waking up and it felt good. Catilin danced, skipped and played her way down the path ahead of him, whereas he followed at a more reserved pace. The feelings awakening inside of him needed to be savoured, because once he was used to them they would quickly become normal and every day. It was a weird thought, but then a lot of his thoughts recently had been.

After about ten minutes of walking, they came across a large circular opening in the depths of the forest. Even from a distance Joey could sense something special about this place. His pace slowed again and his eyes turned expectantly towards Catilin. She jumped and giggled and raced towards the centre of the opening. She then turned round to face him, bouncing on her heels as she did.

'So you're keeping me from my friends to show me a circle in the middle of the forest?' Joey cocked an eyebrow at her as he came to a stop just outside the circle.

'Maybe,' she smirked back at him.

'You know my sister's probably really worried about me right now. I don't think she and the others expected me to be gone for this long.'

'Well you agreed to stay a little longer,' she pouted, 'don't tell me you want to leave now.'

'I really should check on Duke,' Joey felt himself become serious for a moment.

'But we're having fun,' her brown eyes became large and pleading. 'Just a little longer Veronie, please. We'll be serious all you like then, but I want to have a little more fun with you now.'

She reached a hand towards him and Joey felt an invisible force circle round his wrist. The force then pulled him forward into the circle to a spot a few yards away from Catilin. A stupid grin then filled her face and she began bouncing on her heels again.

'Wanna know how I did that?' She giggled. 'Riana and Strek. I can teach you, if you like. I can teach you how to use all your powers. It'll be fun. You're supposed to be good at them, you're a Lutoni.'

'I don't know...' Joey tilted his head in thought, 'I get this feeling I really should be thinking about getting back to my friends now.'

'Please Veronie, just a little longer I promise. We'll go back to your friends soon, I just wanna play a little longer first.'

'You sound like a child,' Joey turned away from her, 'maybe I shouldn't be indulging you like this; it's probably not helping.'

'Veronie, please, just a little longer. We're having fun, aren't we?'

'Yeah, we are.'

'Then just a little longer,' she placed a hand on his arm and forced him to turn back towards her. 'Just a little longer, please? And then we'll go back to your friends, okay?'

'Okay Catilin,' he nodded, 'just a little longer.'


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

Tristan wasn't sure if his calm manner was genuine or just because he'd resigned himself to yet another weird situation which inexplicably involved him, but he did know it felt good to be taking control of it rather than letting it control him. Besides it wasn't as though he could really do anything about it anyway; this boy and whatever mess he was about to rain down on Tristan would have happened eventually, so better to get it over with now and move on to the next drama. And at least this time it didn't also involve his friends, that had to be a plus... or maybe it was a minus depending on how you looked at it.

'So what do you want to talk about,' Tristan tried to play it as casually as possible.

'What, no introductions first? Don't you even want to know my name?'

'You actually have a name?'

The boy let out another peel of hyena like laughter and grinned madly at him.

'You think I'm one of the Nameless, right?'

'No,' Tristan shook his head, 'but after the day I've had I've learnt its best not to assume anything.'

'Well I can assure you I have a name, its Jay,' the boy stretched his hand out towards him.

For a few moments Tristan hesitated. He was pretty certain it wasn't a trap, but there was something a little strange about the formality of it.

'I don't know how it works here, but in my country it's traditional to accept a handshake when offered to you.' Jay smirked at him. 'But then the English have this really big thing about manners, I've heard we're kind of famous for it. Or that the rest of the world sees it as this big joke, I'm not really sure which.'

'You're from England then?' Tristan continued to stare at Jay's outstretched hand.

'Born and bred,' he nodded, 'and any time you feel like grabbing hold of this extremity I like to call a hand and getting the whole introduction part of this conversation out of the way would be more than appreciated.'

'Sorry,' Tristan gave a nervous cough, before accepting Jay's hand. 'I'm Tristan.'

'I know.'

'Then...'

'Manners,' Jay pulled his hand back and shrugged, 'sometimes I like to pretend I have them. You know, give people the whole British experience they're expecting.'

'Okay...'

'Don't worry, I'm not crazy; I'm just a bit of a joker or at least I like to think I am.'

'Right,' Tristan gave him an uncertain once over. 'So what is it you want to talk about?'

'I never said I wanted to talk about anything specific, are you doing that assuming thing again.'

'Am I right?'

'Kind of,' Jay frowned for a moment. 'But I feel like we need to break the ice a little bit first. I mean, from what I know you've had one hell of a day and I'm not so good at the whole being serious thing; I actually find it kind of a headache, so let's play a little game.'

'What kind of game?'

'Call it a _get to know you_ game.' Jay grinned. 'There's this nice little cafe about a half hour walk from here and I figure that would be the best place to do the serious... _whatever_ segment of our conversation. But we have to get there first, right?'

'Where are you going with this?'

'How do you feel about a few races? The winner gets to ask the looser a question of their choice and the loser has to answer it, honestly.'

'Okay, that sounds interesting,' Tristan nodded.

'Well, what can I say, I'm an interesting guy.' Jay shrugged. 'So, first race from here to... um... that bench?' He pointed.

'You're on.' Tristan readied himself.

'Alright,' Jay also got ready. 'On your marks, get set, go.'

The pair of them sprinted off. For a few minutes Tristan felt a strange rush of exhilaration run through him. This wasn't exactly how he thought the situation would go down, but he wasn't going to complain. Okay, so knowing Tristan's luck there was a distinct possibility that Jay was some super-villain and all this messing about nonsense was a way of getting Tristan to lower his guard. But since he'd considered the possibility he was prepared for it. And it was still no reason not for him to have some fun whilst he was waiting for everything to go wrong.

Jay won the first race by a wide margin. He was as fast as his athletic build promised and a lot fitter too. Whereas Tristan found himself gasping for breath, Jay just stood there as though he'd taken a gentle stroll and was wondering what all the fuss was about. As he stood there waiting for Tristan to recover Jay itched his left shoulder, pulling the sleeve up enough to reveal a twisted scar on his left bicep.

'What happened to your arm?' Tristan frowned.

'Hey I thought I won the first race,' Jay moved his hand away, letting his sleeve drop back into place, 'I believe that means I get the first question too.'

'Yeah, you're right, sorry.'

'So you should be,' Jay smirked. 'Now, what do I want to know...' he spent a few moments thinking in a childishly over exaggerated manner. 'Oh, I have a good one, what did the Prophet and the Slut tell you about why you were picked as an ammovate?'

'You mean besides the fact that there was something _different_ about me?' Tristan rolled his eyes. 'Not a whole lot actually. Just that only certain types of people can be chosen and of those nearby its normally the most accessible or whatever. They also said this girl Catilin would have made just as good a choice, but I was both on my own and not potentially insane at the time.'

'You don't think much of this Catilin girl by the sounds of it.' Jay frowned.

'Was that a question, because by your rules I only have to answer one, right?'

'Right,' Jay gave another rendition of his hyena-like laughter. 'So you wanna set the distance for the next race?'

'Okay,' Tristan nodded, before looking around. 'From here to that tree?'

'You're on.'

They both prepared themselves for the next race.

'On your marks, get set, go.'

Jay once again won by a wide margin and Tristan got the sudden feeling this was going to be a pattern with him.

'You know you could have told me you were on your school track team before you challenged me to these races,' Tristan panted.

'What makes you think I'm on my school track team.'

'The fact you're not even breaking a sweat right now.'

'Maybe you're just really unfit, ever think of that?' A stupid grin filled Jay's face and for once he gave an almost normal sounding laugh.

'So those British manners you were pretending to have earlier really were just a myth then?' Tristan cocked an eyebrow at him.

'Oh Tristan, that sounded like a question. I believe I won, not you.'

'Fine, go ahead, ask away.'

'Do you have any idea why people keep saying you're _different_ or _there's something strange_ about you?'

'Not really,' Tristan shook his head, 'although the word Nethher has been branded more than once. No explanation as to what it means, naturally, but...'

'Nethher roughly translates into _creature of possession_,' Jay tilted his head to one side. 'There are two types, the mortal kind and the dead kind. A mortal Nethher is what everyone is thinking you are right now. It's nothing major for you to worry about, it just means the field of protection which should stop you from getting possessed and stuff isn't exactly working. In fact it might as well be non-existent. But the fact you surround yourself with close friends means under normal circumstances it shouldn't be a problem.'

'You said that's what people are thinking I am right now,' Tristan studied him for a moment as he tried to work out a way of asking a question without asking a question, 'that doesn't necessarily mean I am one.'

'No, but we can be sure you're not a Calicaccu and the third possibility is just highly unlikely.'

'The Slut and the Prophet mentioned there were three possibilities; they didn't really say what they were.'

'Nethher, Calicaccu and Higher Being, the first two for similar reasons and the third for reasons no one really understands,' Jay folded his arms. 'But you're getting dangerously close to asking an actual question you know. Maybe we should start the next race already.'

'Okay, your turn to choose the distance.'

'Trash can,' Jay indicated without really looking. 'On your marks, get set, go.'

Another race and another victory for Jay, although by a much narrower margin this time.

'I like this game.' Jay grinned.

'Of course you do, you keep winning.' Tristan wiped some of the sweat away from his forehead. 'So what do you want to know this time?'

'Was that a question?' More hyena-like laughter rippled out of Jay. 'You're really no good at this.'

'Yeah, yeah, yeah, just ask already, would you?'

'Did the feelings of dread you've been experiencing start before or after your encounter with the Boy?'

'What?' Tristan stared at him. 'How...?'

'I was watching you for a while before you decided to get your ass off of that park bench,' Jay tilted his head to one side. 'I know I'm not exactly empathic, but I can tell when something is bothering someone. You looked pretty bothered to me, so... Well, I just wanted to know if you started feeling that way before or after the Boy.'

'Before,' Tristan half turned away from him. 'I've been feeling it on and off for the last few weeks, but normally it coincides with something happening. You know as part of the aftermath. But there have been times today where... the feeling has come first. In fact the feelings been pretty relentless and I don't know why.'

'I don't have an answer to that one I'm afraid,' Jay placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Maybe we should try the normal talking thing now. I like winning but... Well, I've asked all the questions I really wanted to ask. Figure you should get some shots in now. Although do me a favour and start with some normal stuff.'

'You mean like you did?' Tristan shook his head. 'Okay, I guess one of us should prove they have manners.'

'I guess I deserved that, very nicely played.' Jay started walking and Tristan fell into step beside him. 'But even so we can leave off the heavier stuff until we reach the cafe; I think we're due some nice normal questions right now.'

'Okay, then what's your family like? That's a nice normal question, right?'

'Yeah, it is,' Jay nodded. 'Well my Mum's pretty cool and my sister Roxanna and I are really close. Then there's the baby, Tammy, there's kind of this insurmountable age difference between us so...' he shrugged.

'What about your Dad?'

Jay became tense and gritted his teeth. A shiver rippled down his whole body as he clearly fought the urge to do or say something he shouldn't. A nervous rendition of his hyena-like laughter then jittered out of him.

'A teacher told her pupil to sit by the window and draw what he saw.' A stupid if altogether fake smile appeared on Jay's face. 'Half an hour later the pupil came to the teacher with a blank piece of paper. The teacher asked why the pupil hadn't drawn what he'd seen sitting at the window and the pupil replied, I did, but the blind was closed.'

'What's with the lame joke?' Tristan stared at him.

'It's my thing. It's one of the two reasons my friends used to call me Hyena Boy.'

'Well I've heard your laugh, so I think I can guess what the other reason is.' Tristan shook his head.

'That's pretty much what Taylorna said when I met her.'

'Who's Taylorna?'

'A former girlfriend of mine. She was great, I loved her so much. She was my world.'

'Was your world? Didn't it work out between you two then?

'Stuff happened...' Jay's eyes misted over as he lowered his head and half turned away. 'Believe me I didn't want to leave her behind, but I really didn't have a choice in the matter.'

'What happened?'

'Final clock out,' he shrugged and refused to meet Tristan's gaze.

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'That's a conversation best left till we're in the cafe.' Jay forced another less than convincing smile onto his face. 'So is there anything else you want to know?'

'Well I guess I should go back to my earlier question and ask what happened to your arm.' Tristan decided it would be best to play this by Jay's rules for a little longer.

'Well I guess I should have known that was coming,' Jay shuddered again. 'I... fell down the stairs onto a loose screw which should have been attached to one of the banister rails.'

'You fell?'

'Well there was definitely a whole lot of falling involved; I can assure you of that.'

'So what, did you trip or something?'

'Or something...' Jay squirmed. 'Look, I'm really not comfortable talking about this, okay?'

'Okay, sorry.' Tristan turned his gaze away. 'So how much further is this place we're heading to?'

'Just up ahead,' Jay pointed towards a quaint little cottage. 'Don't worry appearances can be deceiving. You see this place belongs to the park and so outwardly has to fit in. But, trust me, inside it's like every other fast food joint you've ever eaten in.'

Within a few more minutes they were inside and Tristan was glad to see Jay was right. The inside of the cottage could have been any fast-food joint from the centre of Domino City. In fact there was almost something a little too _every fast-food_ _joint_ about it, but Tristan tried to ignore that nagging feeling. Instead he settled into a booth with Jay and tried to figure out why there were only half a dozen other people in there with them.

'So what you want to eat?' Jay brought his attention back to him.

'Whatever's going,' Tristan shrugged, 'it's been a long day and I'm staved.'

'Burger and chips it is then,' Jay laughed, 'or should I say burgers and fries. I know the girl on tills so I'll go place our order.'

Tristan watched as Jay flirted with the till girl for a good five minutes. She responded in kind by being all coy and shy, before getting their order together and handing the tray over to Jay. There was a huge grin on his face as he settled himself down into the booth opposite Tristan.

'So you don't do the paying thing then?' Tristan cocked an eyebrow at him.

'You were watching me that closely?' Jay laughed. 'Let's just say it's not just the till girl I know around here.'

'Nice.' Tristan couldn't help but share in his laughter.

There was something infectious about Jay. No matter how hard Tristan tried to keep up a marginal level of distrust just in case something untoward happened, he couldn't help but like the guy. He might have been a bit on the strange side at times, but he was fun and lively and unashamed. It was nice to be around somebody who didn't consider carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders part of their daily life. Not that his friends were all doom and gloom, but things between them had been really very serious recently.

Jay handed Tristan's plateful of food over to him and they both tucked into their meal.

'I'd forgotten food could taste this good.' Jay murmured through mouthfuls.

'Me too. I also hadn't realised I was this hungry.'

'I can always get more if you like; I know I wouldn't say no to seconds.'

They laughed again. In some ways Jay reminded Tristan a little of how Joey had been after he and Yugi had first become friends. It had been strange to see that side of Joey back then, but now Tristan found himself missing those strangely carefree days. Friendship with Yugi had made things pretty weird from almost the start, but between Kaiba, Pegasus, Marik and Bakura fun was decidedly off the menu.

'So is now the time we get down to the serious part of our conversation?'

'I guess,' Jay kept his gaze trained on his plate of food.

'Sound a little less enthusiastic about it why don't you. I thought this was the whole point of me being here.'

'I told you before; I don't really like doing the whole serious thing. If I had a choice I would just... you know... hang out for a while.' His eyes half glanced up towards Tristan. 'I used to be kinda popular, at least within my friendship circle. Then... well I lost it all and I kinda miss having friends. Guy friends I mean. Proper guy friends. I've kinda had fun not doing the whole serious thing.'

'I know what you mean, but...'

'I know,' Jay sighed, 'I guess I can't put it off forever, right?' He took a deep breath in. 'Remember I said before there were two kinds of Nethhers, the mortal kind and the dead kind?'

'Yeah.'

'Well I'm sort of the dead kind.'

'Come again,' Tristan stopped eating mid-mouthful.

'The reason I can't see my friends anymore. The reason I had to leave my girlfriend. It's because I sort of died. And by sort of I mean actually died. So now I'm what every mortal becomes when they die. I'm a Nethher Herin.'

'Okay.' Tristan took a deep breath in. 'You're dead.'

'Yes.'

'You died.'

'Yeah, that's pretty much how you end up dead.'

'And you're here because you need to talk to me?'

'Yeah.'

Tristan was silent for a few long moments as he found himself re-evaluating Jay. The wave of dread which had hit him abated slightly, but still swirled around his stomach like bad food. He'd known from the start there had to be something wrong with Jay, but this wasn't exactly his first choice. In fact this probably took its place at least eight or ninth place down the line.

'How'd you die?' Tristan met Jay's gaze.

'My father wasn't a very nice man... at least not to me,' Jay shifted uncomfortably. 'My body tells a story and not a very good one.'

'Your fall wasn't an accident then?'

'I wasn't pushed if that's what you're asking, but...'

'You might as well have been?'

Jay shrugged but said nothing.

'So, did your father...?'

'It was an accident. I mean, I don't think he meant for it to go that far, but yeah... he is the reason I'm dead.'

'Please tell me he's serving a very long sentence behind bars right now,' Tristan gritted his teeth.

'No such luck,' Jay sighed, 'unfortunately for me my death looked enough like an accident to... well be considered an accident I guess. He got away with it and I've been dead for nineteen years. Nineteen years perpetually stuck one week off seventeen.'

'That's not right.'

'Tell me about it.'

'Still my death hasn't been all bad. I mean, I guess you could say I've got a pretty good job. And recently I've been able to spend a lot of time with someone I'm pretty fond of too.'

'Oh?' Tristan cocked an eyebrow.

'Yeah, you kinda know her,' Jay gave a nervous laugh. 'It's that Catilin girl you mentioned earlier actually. The one you don't sound too keen on.'

'Oh now I get it.' Tristan felt a sudden sting of betrayal. 'Is she the reason you're here?'

'No... no she's not.' Jay pulled a face. 'Octan is.'


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

Joey was exhausted. Every single muscle in his body ached and he found himself gasping for breath. Magical training had been a lot more intense than he'd expected. Then again, Catilin really hadn't held back. There had been something about the look in her eyes which was both exciting and frightening at the same time. She was strong and passionate and almost too good at the fighting side of their training for someone who was supposed to be a pacifist. But it was more than that; when she came at him there were time Joey couldn't tell if this really was just sparring or if she were out for his blood.

He knew Catilin's mentality was far from stable and that thin line was too easy for her to cross, yet he didn't want the training to stop just because he was afraid of what she might do. The weight of responsibility which was about to come crashing down on him would crush him if he let any kind of fear control him now. He had to believe he could handle anything; it was the only way he was going to get through this.

After an intense battle, Joey crashed heavily onto the ground and Catilin leant against one of the perimeter trees. For a few long moments they just stared at each other, trying to gather the breath they needed to talk. An amused smirk half flittered onto Catilin's face as her eyes danced with a look halfway between mischief and killer intent.

'We need food,' she laughed. 'I'm so hungry I could eat you.'

'Because nothing quite says apatite like cannibalism,' Joey pulled himself to his feet. 'So where do we want to go for food?'

'There's a cabin not far from here.' Catilin tilted her head in thought. 'When I wasn't getting all translaty in the library, I came here to train. It would sometimes make my head get all weird, but I liked the feeling. Plus I always have a big apatite after a good power workout.'

'So you're saying this cabin has food then?'

'It did a few days ago, so unless it's been ransacked by ghosts in the mean time the food should still be there.'

'Okay, lead the way.'

Catilin nodded and made her way out of the circle. Joey followed, before a strange thought made him hesitate.

'So this forest was here even when this place was covered in shadows?'

'What?' Catilin stopped and glanced back towards him.

'You said you came here to train. But Sil was all shadowy until today, so...'

'The shadows just hid what was really there.' Catilin shrugged. 'Once you got used to it you could see what was hidden beneath.'

'So you're saying everything was always here, just hidden by the shadows?'

'Of course,' Catilin frowned at him, 'don't you believe me?'

'It's not that,' Joey shook his head, 'I just feel like there's so much I don't understand yet. I'm not sure if I'm really ready for all this.'

'You're ready Joey, trust me.' She placed a hand on his shoulder.

Almost as soon as she did an image flashed into his mind. Gasping he pulled away from her again. Her face filled with a hurt look of confusion, but all he could do was stare at her and shake his head. The image he'd seen was familiar somehow. It was one of the things which had entered his mind when they'd been trapped in the connective space between minds. He hadn't been able to understand it then and even if he had he'd convinced himself all of that information had left him. So why was he seeing it again now.

'Veronie?' Catilin looked like a lost and scared little girl.

Joey didn't respond, instead he tentatively reached a hand towards her. Some unknown instinct made him half cup her face and close his eyes. The image returned, stronger and more solid than before...

* * *

The quiet humming of a computer filled the air. The only light in the room came from the screen, which was filled with a single chat box. The chat box was a large multi-convo and the conversation within it was structured and focused.

_Carnage, cool I like that name._

Who said it was a name?

_Well with you, what else could it be?_

What are you trying to say about me?

_That it's always a name._

Maybe it's something else this time.

_Something like what?_

I'm not sure yet. I just get this feeling about it.

_That's what you always say and it always turns out to be a name. So what is this Carnage of yours like?_

I don't know yet. I told you, I just get this feeling about it.

_ Hey who was that added in here?_

I don't know. Anyone know who added him?

_What makes you so sure it's a him?_

A feeling.

_You and your feelings._

**_So is nobody actually going to ask me who I am then?_**

_Okay stranger, who are you?_

* * *

'Veronie...' Catilin pulled away from him.

There was something about the way he was staring at her that she didn't like. It was like he knew something she didn't and he wasn't planning to share. For a heartbeat it made her feel angrier than she'd ever felt in her life, but after that she just felt confused.

'Did I do something wrong?' The words bleated out of her. 'I didn't mean to be bad Veronie. Talk to me please. Tell me what I did wrong.'

'You... you didn't do anything,' Joey stroked her hair for a few moments, although his gaze was focused on some distant point over her left shoulder.

'Veronie...' she glanced over her shoulder to try and see what he was looking at.

'It's okay Cat, you've not done anything, I promise.'

'But...'

'It's nothing; honestly it doesn't matter.' Joey smiled at her, but she could tell the smile was forced. 'Come on, I'm starving, let's go eat.'

'Okay,' she nodded and turned away from him.

She didn't like the feeling he was keeping something from her; especially when she was pretty certain whatever this thing was it was something bad and probably her fault. She might have needed him to look after her, but she didn't need him to protect her from herself. That would just make things more confusing. She wanted to make him understand that, but something cold in the pit of her stomach stopped her. The cold feeling taunted her like a bad memory and kept her tongue still until they'd reached the cabin.

'Catilin how old are you?' Joey broke the silence between them.

'Huh?'

'Remember when we first met and I said you were too young to be a nurse, well... obviously you're too young to be a nurse, but how old are you?'

'A few months younger than you,' Catilin pressed her lips together, 'I could have Glamoured my age better, but I was too confused at the time to think beyond nurse outfit.'

'Glamoured your age?' Joey frowned.

'Glamour is this ability Silkoneons can learn. It's a little bit on the tricky side and I must admit I think it's a lot more trouble than it's worth, but... I learnt it well enough to make myself look older or younger or blonder or whatever.' Catilin tilted her head to one side. 'Some people can use it to make themselves look like someone else, but I'll never be that good.'

'Because it's too hard to learn?'

'No, because it makes things up here too confusing,' she tapped the side of her head.

There were a few moments of silence as they made their way into the cabin. Catilin got the feeling there was more Joey wanted to ask and the fact he was staying so silent made her nervous.

'Veronie have I done something wrong?' A strange kind of sadness moved through her as she watched him search the cupboards for food.

'Of course you haven't,' he didn't even stop his search to look at her.

'But I'm keeping you from your friends; are you angry at me?'

'Catilin...' Whether he meant it to or not the look he shot her made her feel bad.

'I'm sorry.' Catilin lowered her gaze. 'I know it's bad and I shouldn't ask, but I just want you to myself for a little bit longer. You're the first proper friend I've had for a long time; I just... I just wanna spend time with a friend.'

* * *

Octan's name had dropped like a heavy weight between them. For a long time Tristan didn't say anything and Jay felt himself becoming nervous. In the back of his head he could sense Octan growing restless, but Jay couldn't tell if his restlessness was because his name had been mentioned too soon or not soon enough. Either way the silence was making Jay uncomfortable and he hated being uncomfortable even more than he hated being serious.

'You know Octan,' Tristan broke the silence.

'Octan and I are very close,' Jay squirmed, 'you could say we're kinda irrespirable.'

'You mean that literally, don't you,' Tristan squeezed his eyes shut and began massaging his forehead.

'When I was a child Octan became a part of me.' Jay shifted his gaze away. 'He said I reminded him of his son and he wanted to protect me, but I'm not sure I totally buy either story. I think... I think he just wanted another shot at life and since everyone knew mine would probably be short he figured I wouldn't miss it.'

'He took over your life?' Tristan frowned.

'No, we... we shared. Although I didn't find out that's what was happening till after I died. I would just get these... blackouts and stuff would happen and... Well for a while I thought there was something... you know... wrong with me. But I was too afraid of what people would think... of what my father would do... to tell anyone what was really going on. But... Octan was in control when I died. I think... I think he tried to save me, but... whatever it was he did backfired somehow.'

'And you ended up paying the consequences.'

'When you're alive there are lots of different ways you can share a body with someone, but once you're dead... Things become a lot more confusing, especially if you're trapped together like we are. And we are trapped together. It was the Mistresses stipulation for letting Octan have his fun. Although sometimes I can't help but wonder if it's some kind of punishment.'

'For him?'

'For me,' Jay shrugged. 'I think she blames me for taking their Helper away from them. Okay, so in the grand scheme of things it wasn't for very long, but... I offered him something they couldn't. Freedom. Sometimes... the way she treat me... I don't think she like me very much.'

'She? I thought there was more than one Mistress.'

'There is, but only one of them is really hostile towards me. The other two... well they're much harder to read. Sometimes I think they'd don't really mind me all that much, but other times... they can make things just as difficult as she can.'

There were another couple of minutes of silence, during which Jay tried to figure out what Tristan might be thinking. Tristan's expression was pretty unreadable, although Jay did note the way he gripped the material over his stomach.

'So... do you an Octan share thoughts now?' Tristan's words were slow and well chosen.

'No, not exactly. I mean we can tell what each other is doing most of the time and I'm much more aware of the things Octan does when he's in control, but he can still hide things from me.'

'Does that mean you still get blackouts?'

Jay squirmed and shifted his gaze away. He really didn't want to answer that question. He didn't want to answer it because he didn't like the answer to it.

'When was the last time you had a blackout?' Tristan narrowed his gaze on him.

'Right before the Mistresses asked me to stop Catilin from leaving Sil.' Jay glanced towards him. 'In the months leading up to that... the months after I first met her... there were a lot of blackouts. I... I kept asking Octan what he was up to, but he would just tell me it was nothing to worry about. Then the Mistresses turned round one day and told me as well as serving them I had to help Octan make sure Catilin never left Sil. No explanation. No justification. Just that she had to stay put, that she wasn't to know I was keeping her there and that I had to make sure she was occupied so she wouldn't want to leave.'

'Well I for one would like to congratulate you on a job well done.' Tristan rolled his eyes.

'Hey it's not like I could watch her twenty-four seven. Not with all the other responsibilities I have.' Jay half pushed his plate away from him. 'And besides, I still don't know why they wanted to keep her there anyway. Or why Octan wanted me to talk to you before helping Duke. And he is planning on helping Duke by the way. I just don't... I mean, I didn't sign up for any of this. I didn't ask to have a guy I'm not sure I can trust living in the back of my head.'

'I guess that can't be easy for you.'

'There are a lot of things these days that aren't easy for me,' Jay sighed. 'It all seemed so easy, when I first died I mean. Learning all of Octan's responsibilities was kinda fun, you know. And heaven is pretty high-tech too, at least the part where I work. I even made a few friends. Then one day the Mistresses tell us that one of the six needs monitoring...'

'One of the six?' Tristan stopped him.

'One of the six Disconnected Realms,' Jay pulled a face. 'See there are six realities where the Silkoneons exist, just like there are six versions of Sil, one for each reality. In a shared point in their history the six realities became magically disconnected from the rest of the multiverse. It was always known they would reconnect again at some point; it was just a question of when. This reality was the first to have all the pieces in place. Of course just because the pieces were in place didn't mean this world was ready for it.'

'And that's where you an Octan came in, right?'

'This world was preparing itself for the reawakening long before Catilin received the Lunus Crystella. It caused some of those with a semi-awareness of what they were to gather together. Not physically but... well remember how I said heaven was high-tech?'

'I'm now guessing that involves a desktop and some kind of internet access.' Tristan cocked an eyebrow.

'I must admit I would rather have had a laptop, but I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter.' Jay smirked for a moment, before feeling the need to become serious again. 'Catilin became a person of interest even before she became Catilin. Her birth name is Jenna Gulwing and she was pretty even as a kid. Octan encouraged me to start talking to her and she was just... amazing to talk to. A little on the unstable side, even then, but... She was sweet and funny. I liked her a lot, but Octan... Octan was the one who insisted she was ready to receive the Lunus Crystella when she was eleven. The Mistresses took his word for it and... the blackouts started happening.'

'Do you think he did something to Catilin?' Tristan frowned.

'I don't know,' Jay could feel Octan throbbing at the back of his head, 'but I'm starting to get the feeling that's what he wants to talk to you about.'


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47**

Joey stopped his search for food for a moment and made his way towards Catilin. He gently stroked her hair and wondered if his feelings towards her were fatherly or brotherly in their protective nature. Okay so maybe she was a lot to deal with and emotionally she was still pretty all over the place, but the Lutoni-Ashmar bond was instinctive and had been from the moment he'd met her. Or at least that's how it felt to him now.

'I'm sorry if I made you anxious.' Joey tried his best to smile warmly at her, 'I just got a flash of something just now, something a little weird and I wasn't sure what to make of it.'

'Okay,' Catilin pouted, 'you could have just told me.'

'I didn't want to worry you. I think... I think it was from when I made contact with you in the space that connects minds together. I don't know why it waited this long to surface and I don't think it's really that important anyway. Okay?'

'Okay,' she half turned away from him, 'but you should trust yourself to tell me things.'

'That doesn't make a whole lot of sense,' he gave a strange half laugh. 'But I guess I'm not sure how to act around you yet; maybe because I don't know a whole lot about you.'

'There's really not that much to tell.' Catilin shrugged and made her own way towards the food cupboards. 'I don't really remember a whole lot about my childhood. Not stuff I can be sure was actually my childhood I mean. I remember finding these _wish I could be anybody but me_ type chatrooms when I was about ten... maybe eleven. They kinda became my world... the only thing I could be sure was really real.' She pulled several bags of potato chips out of one of the cupboards and moved them to the small wooden table in the centre of the room. 'My parents... at least I think they were my parents... had all these tests done because I couldn't tell the difference between what was actually happening around me and... what they believed was just stuff going on inside my head. Until I found those chatrooms I thought... and even after... It wasn't until I received the Lunus Crystella I knew for sure I wasn't just crazy.'

'I'm sorry,' Joey met her gaze, 'I didn't realise...'

'I knew Kimotay and Timotee before I got the Lunus Crystella. That's why I woke them up and for a while everything was great. I had them and I had Jay and Jay took me away from my parents who didn't understand what I really was and moved me here. And we had fun. We had a lot of fun. I was happy, but then things started getting really confusing. I was confused so much and so often that I couldn't play with Kimotay and Timotee anymore. He told me I had to be alone; that I couldn't be queen because I get so confused. But he told me he and Jay would look after me so it would be alright. And it was... until Mai.'

'He?'

'Huh?'

'You said he and Jay,' Joey took a seat at the table and grabbed one of the bags of chips, 'who is this he?'

'Octan. Octan said I had to be alone.' Catilin took a seat opposite him and lowered her head. 'I don't like him as much as Jay, but the two kinda go together.'

There were a few moments of silence. Catilin opened another of the bags of chips and sighed.

'Octan gives me a bad feeling.' She played with some of the chips in her hand for a moment, before eating them. 'He always makes my stomach feel cold, like I've done something bad. It makes me think I did.'

'You think you might have done something bad when you were confused?' Joey studied her for a moment. 'Is that what you're trying to say?'

'I don't know. All I know is that whenever I try to think about it my stomach goes cold, just like when I think about Octan.' Catilin shrugged. 'I don't think I'm a bad person, but I do get confused so maybe I can do bad things. Things I don't even know about. And I don't mean to, but...'

'It's okay Cat, I understand.'

'So you don't think I'm a bad person then?' Her eyes flicked up to meet with his.

'The way you are isn't your fault Catilin,' Joey smiled at her, 'so there's nothing you can do which will ever make me think of you as a bad person, okay?'

'Then why does my stomach feel so cold?'

'Huh?'

'Veronie... why does my stomach feel so cold?'

* * *

Tristan watched as Jay gripped his head in his hands and gritted his teeth. There was something about the painful look on his face which made the dread in the pit of Tristan's stomach bubble like crazy.

'Are you okay man?' Tristan wasn't totally sure what to do. 'Jay?'

'I'm not Jay.' His head rolled as he lowered his hands.

'Octan?'

'Wow, you are smarter than you look.' Jay's eyes flicked open, revealing a much more serious expression than before. 'Sorry, I didn't mean that to sound the way it did. It's just when you've been around for as long as I have your expectations of people are pretty low.'

'Jay included?' Tristan narrowed his gaze.

'Jay's an exception for many things,' he leant forward. 'He's a good kid who got a rough deal; it wasn't fair.'

'How exactly did you find out about him anyway? I mean, there must be millions of abused kids in the world, what was so special about Jay?'

'Honestly, I don't know. I didn't know then and I don't know now.' Jay shrugged. 'There was just something about him from the moment I saw him and even seeing him was by chance. Still I've never regretted it; not even for a second. Of course I wish things could have turned out differently, but... There are just certain things you can't stop from happening.'

'Tell me about it,' Tristan rolled his eyes. 'So what exactly is it you want to talk to me about? Because I think I can safely assume at this point it has nothing to do with Duke.'

'Duke will come later; right now I need your help.'

'My help with what exactly?'

'Catilin.'

Tristan sucked a deep breath in and tried to figure out whether or not he'd seen that answer coming. A part of him told him he had, but it was mostly the same part swirling with dread in his stomach. His eyes examined Octan-Jay for a few long moments, before he lowered his head and gave a muted half laugh.

'You've come to me because I'm different, right?'

'No... well... yeah,' Octan-Jay pulled a face, 'but at the moment it's more to do with the fact you still have the residual energy of an ammovate.'

'I'm not sure I understand.'

'Being an ammovate affords you a connection to another state of existence. When you come back from that you spend a short amount of time somewhere in between. How short that amount of time is can vary hugely, but... well I can tell from here it's still present within you. That's why people have been able to tell much more easily there's something different about you, because right now you're wearing it like a second layer of skin.'

'Okay...'

'Right now the residual ammovate energy means you can sense what I should be able to sense.'

'What you should be able to sense?' Tristan frowned.

'I... I'm too close to Catilin and after what I did... I can't read her the way I can other people anymore. I know there's something happening inside of her, but... I don't know what it is or what it means. I can't tell the first thing about her anymore and it's frightening me.'

'Because Catilin is dangerous?' Tristan felt himself leaning closer to Octan-Jay.

There were a few long moments of silence. The silence made Tristan's stomach dread move throughout his entire body.

'Octan, what did you do?'

'I used her. I used her because I knew she would be too confused to realise what was going on.'

'Used her how?'

'You have to understand how much Jay means to me. I mean, he's like my son... maybe even more than that. After he died and... and that man got away with killing him, I was so angry. Over the years that anger burnt into this cold, twisted plan. But I never meant... I never meant for things to end up this way. I was just waiting... waiting for a Calicaccu to come along to fulfil my plan for me. When one did... I just didn't think about the consequences. All I could think about was my plan. All I could think about was making Jay's father pay for what he'd done. All I could think about was... _revenge_.'

* * *

'Catilin,' Joey took a firm grip on her shoulders as her eyes glazed over, 'Catilin stay with me. Catilin, I need you to stay with me now. Please.'

She didn't reply. Instead she remained as she was staring off into a distance only she could see. Joey gave her a gentle shake and prayed with everything in him she would come back round on her own.

'Catilin can you hear me?' Joey gave her another gentle shake. 'Catilin?'

Catilin's head rolled a little and she blinked several times. Her eyes then met with Joey's and a confused look filled her face.

'What's the matter Veronie?'

'I was about to ask you that,' Joey sighed and pulled himself back from her. 'You just zoned out on me a little there.'

'I did?'

'Yeah, you were saying something about your stomach feeling really cold and then you just...'

'I don't remember,' Catilin cut him off, 'are you sure that's what happened?'

'Yeah, I'm sure Catilin, why wouldn't I be?'

'I don't know, I just don't remember is all,' Catilin shrugged, 'do you wanna eat now?'

'Err... yeah, sure.' Joey felt more than a little confused by Catilin's almost complete change in attitude.

'Couldn't you find anything other than crisps Veronie?' She laughed as she got up from the table and went towards one of the cupboards at the far end of the room. 'Secret fridge,' she pulled the door open to reveal a modest sized chiller. 'Bread and butter and ham and cheese,' she bopped her head as she singsonged the words, 'bread and butter and ham and cheese.'

'You're a little bit random Catilin,' Joey shook his head and tried to pretend like everything was normal.

'I'm also a little bit insane,' she grinned at him. 'Do you think maybe there's a connection?'

He laughed but it sounded more forced than he'd meant it too. So far they'd managed to avoid the _I_ word. So far they'd just talked about her in terms of being an active Calicaccu and unstable. Joey had even been reluctant to think of her as being _sick_, but now Catilin had said it there was no taking it back.

'Do I scare you Veronie?' Catilin stared at him.

'No... no of course not,' Joey shook his head. 'This is just taking a little more to get used to than I expected.'

'I'm sorry Veronie; this can't be easy for you. You barely even know me and now you have to take care of me.'

'I... I don't mind.'

'Are you sure?' Catilin cut through the sandwiches she'd been making, her eyes trained almost menacingly on Joey.

'Of course I'm sure. I'm a Lutoni, you're an Ashmar, it wouldn't be right if I didn't help you.'

'You say that as though this is out of some sense of duty. I thought we were friends Veronie.'

'We are friends Catilin,' he forced a smile. 'I'm starved now though, so can we please just eat?'


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48**

'Took revenge how exactly?' Tristan held his gaze. 'And what does this have to do with Catilin?'

'Quiet,' Octan-Jay motioned for him to keep his voice down, 'Jay doesn't know.'

'I figured from the blackouts,' he glared, 'real smooth way of keeping a secret that.'

'You have to understand what I did... I did it out of love for Jay.'

'I thought you said you did it out of revenge.'

'Revenge driven by love,' Octan-Jay threw the words out of his mouth, 'two feelings I was so blinded by I... I didn't think about the consequences. All I could think about was what that man had put _my_ Jay through. The years of physical and psychological abuse and torture which left their scars on this body.' He banged a hand against his chest. 'You have no idea what that_ monster_ was like. I was justified.'

'Who exactly are you trying to convince with that?' Tristan narrowed his gaze on him. 'And you still haven't told me what any of this has to do with Catilin.'

'You've seen her. You've seen what she's like. She was already half insane before I had anything to do with her. But instead of helping her... instead of giving her what she needed I... I turned her into a monster.' Octan-Jay's eyes were brimmed with cold and angry tears. 'My own personal form of revenge. Something I knew would really get to him. Something I knew would really hurt him.'

'I don't...'

'Do you know why Jay's father did the things he did? What excuse he used to justify torturing his son?'

'I...'

'The fact he was a boy. He hated Jay because he was a boy. That's the only reason. Or at least the only reason he ever gave.' Octan-Jay gave a dry half laugh. 'We had a plan to get out of there. His grandmother had helped him get a flat and we were almost home free when that _monster_... He was almost free... we were almost free and then he died. And I condemned him to a sentence he wasn't ready for. I thought I could save him and I failed. So I had to do it. I had to punish that man for what he'd done. You understand that, don't you?'

'What did you do?' Tristan grabbed a hold of Octan-Jay's arms from across the table. 'Tell me what you did. Tell me what you got Catilin to do.'

'I was justified. He needed to be punished and she was insane anyway. I wasn't thinking,' he pulled back from Tristan and ran his fingers back through his hair. 'I knew... I knew who she was... I knew I shouldn't have used her... but she was ruined anyway so what did it matter? He needed to be punished and this was the only way. This was the best way. I was justified.'

'Octan...' Tristan gritted his teeth, 'I need to know what you did to Catilin and I need to know now.'

'Active Calicaccus are so easy to manipulate.' Octan-Jay's eyes met with Tristan's. 'It's that nice lucid grip they have on reality; if you tell them something often enough they'll believe anything. And she was always just sitting on the deep end really. Pathetic. That was the first thing I thought when I found her. That she was a pathetic excuse for an Ashmar. That she would never be fit to rule, but without her powers she was useless to me. I didn't think about the consequences, I just saw a puppet I could manipulate. It pleased me when I could sense Jay getting close to her; it made everything so easy; like leading a horse to water. I was justified. He needed to be punished. She was insane. And I was justified.'

'What did you do Octan? I need to know what you did.'

'I gave her the perfect script,' he laughed for a moment. 'She knew it word for word. She was so well rehearsed it could all have been make believe. I'm sure to her it was and I doubt it even registers as a thought in her head anymore. In fact, I'm pretty certain it doesn't. That's how well I'd conditioned her. How well I trained her confused little mind. She was so obedient, just like I knew an active Calicaccu would be.'

'What did you get her to do Octan?'

'I got her to wreak my perfect revenge,' his face crumpled with an almost unreadable mix of expression, 'I got her to kill him for me.'

* * *

Yugi had disappeared for a bathroom break and Mai's curiosity led her to pick up the book he'd been reading. For a few moments she scanned through the pages for some kind of index or reference guide to tell her what information the book contained.

'What are you doing Mai?' Serenity's voice made her jump.

'I thought you were napping,' Mai glanced up at her.

'I was, but I've spent too much time in hospitals to really feel comfortable napping here anymore.' Serenity's face filled with a weak smile. 'So what are you doing?'

'I'm not really sure, research I guess,' Mai frowned down at the book she was still holding. 'Catilin and that Lillyannu girl both called me a... Calcanto I think it was. I was just curious as to what that might be.'

'Yeah, I was curious about that too. But it has to be a good thing, right? I mean, it let you help my brother.'

'I know, but... Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it felt important somehow.'

'You could always ask my brother or Catilin about it when they get back,' Serenity smiled at her. 'They can't be much longer now, can they? I mean, it's starting to get dark out.'

'I think that's just a cloud moving overhead. But you're right, it's getting late so they'll probably be back soon.'

'So you can ask them about it then.'

'Maybe.'

'Is something wrong Mai?' Now it was Serenity's turn to frown.

'No, it's nothing. I guess... I guess I can wait.'

* * *

_It was late and the weather left a lot to be desired. Neither of them had been expecting any visitors so he'd been filled with an uncertain level of suspicion when the doorbell rang. At first they'd both just ignored it, but when it went off for a third time his impatience got the better of him. With an unapologetic level of anger running through him, he answered the door._

_ Stood on his doorstep, dripping with rain, was a young girl. Her head was lowered and her wet hair hung over her face in a manner which was both threatening and pathetic at the same time. For half a second his anger bubbled with fear, but then he remembered she was just a kid and a girl at that._

_ 'Do you have any idea how late it is? What do you want kid?'_

_ 'To come home Baz.' _

_ Her voice was so soft he wasn't sure she'd really spoken. And even if he had heard her speak he wasn't sure he believed what he thought she'd said. For a few seconds he just stared at her, waiting to see if she would say anything else. There was nothing._

_ 'Look kid, you can't stay out here all night; your parents must be worried about you, go home.'_

_ 'But I am home Baz,' her head lifted enough for him to see the lower half of her face, 'won't you let me in?'_

_ 'I don't know what kind of trick you're trying to pull here kid, but I'm telling you now it's not going to work. Go home, before I call the police.'_

_ He tried to shut the door on her, but she moved her body in the way. A squeal of hyena-like laughter then rippled out of her turning Baz's blood cold._

_ 'If the police come Baz, they won't be coming for me.'_

_ 'You're crazy.'_

_ 'No, I'm dead. I'm dead and you killed me.'_

_ 'You're nuts kid. I want you to leave here. Now.'_

_ 'But I can't leave here Baz. I live here.' Her cold, angry eyes flicked up to meet with his. 'What's the matter Baz, don't you recognise me?'_

_ 'I don't know who you are kid.'_

_ 'Yes you do. You know exactly who I am and why I'm here. You killed me Baz and you have to pay for what you've done.'_

_ 'But I haven't...'_

_ 'Baz who is it? What's going on?' His wife's voice sounded from the hallway behind him. 'Who's at the door?'_

_ 'It's... ah...'_

_ Before he could get any further, she was at his side, pulling the door back open again. As soon as she spotted her girl she gave a sympathetic little gasp and ushered her inside._

_ 'You poor thing, you must be nearly catching your death out there.'_

_ 'It's alright,' the girl's face filled with a pleasant little smile, 'I don't feel the cold.'_

_ 'My son was exactly the same,' for a moment she looked sad, then she pushed a smile of her own onto her face. 'Well I can't with any good mind send you back out into that, why don't you come in and dry off for a bit. Maybe we can call your parents and get them to pick you up.'_

_ 'I'd like to dry off.' The girl followed her through to the living room._

_ For a moment Baz just stood in the doorway and cursed his wife for her good nature. He didn't want this girl in his house. He didn't want this girl in the same town as him. There was something wrong with her and now they were trapped together because of his wife's good nature. It was almost enough to make him sick. _

_ He gave a heavy sigh, shut the front door and went to join them in the living room. His wife had already managed to acquire a towel and was helping the girl dry off. Years of taking care of their youngest had turned his wife into a natural fusser. It was like she was convinced people would fall apart if they didn't have her direct help._

_ 'What was a pretty little thing like you doing out on a night like this anyway?' His wife was twittering._

_ 'Trying to get home,' the girl's voice was gentle enough, but when she flicked a glance in Baz's direction the cold look of anger still shone in her eyes. 'I got a little bit lost. I should have been home sooner.'_

_ 'Well, we'll get you home soon,' she smiled at the girl. _

_ 'I hope so,' the girl pulled away and went towards the mantle. 'I like this picture,' she picked up a group shot of Baz's son and his friends. 'It's a happy picture.'_

_ 'I like it too,' his wife moved in beside her. 'It was taken right before my son... had his accident.'_

_ 'It wasn't an accident.'_

_ 'What?'_

_ The girl pulled away from her and made her way towards the couch. She then placed the towel across one of the seats before sitting down. Her eyes turned towards Baz._

_ 'Do you miss your son Baz?'_

_ 'What kind of question is that?' He turned away from the girl. _

_ 'What kind of answer is that?'_

_ 'What...?' His wife's voice shook with confusion. 'We should try to get hold of your parents now. What did you say your name was?'_

_ 'I didn't,' a huge smile filled the girl's face as she turned back towards her. 'My name is Jay.'_


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49**

'Any sign of life from Duke yet?' Téa stretched as she roused from her nap.

'Nothing,' Yugi shook his head, 'and still no clue as to how to get hold of this Octan guy.'

'Do you think Catilin might know?'

'What is it with everyone and Catilin today?' Mai gave a heavy sigh and folded her arms. 'She's not some guru of knowledge you know. She's just a confused child who...' she stopped herself.

'Who what Mai?' Serenity frowned at her.

'Who's in over her head,' Mai turned away from her. 'I'm not the only one who's noticed that, am I?'

'Well she's nothing like Lilly, that's for sure,' Yugi tilted his head in thought. 'I'm not totally sure I know what to make of her and nor is the Pharaoh.'

'Does he have feelings for her?' Téa shot him a curious look.

'No, his feelings are for Lilly and only for Lilly.'

'What about you?'

'What about me?'

'Well are you two like destined to be together or something?'

'I don't think it works like that,' Yugi shook his head. 'If it did...'

'If it did what?' Téa frowned.

'If it did I would feels something for her already and I don't. She's just this girl who's entered our lives. It's strange... if anything I find myself almost shocked by the lack of feelings for her.'

'You mean you were hoping...?'

'No, that's not what I mean. It's just... Strange.'

'How is it strange?' Mai shrugged. 'You're not the Pharaoh and she's not Lilly. You're both two completely different people and it's pretty clear from the fact she's more than a little unstable history's not exactly repeating itself. Don't stress yourself out because you're not feeling what you think you're supposed to be feeling.'

'That was surprisingly insightful Mai.' Téa smiled at her. 'I think I like the new you.'

'Well don't get too attached to it, I'm still weak right now it's making me more compassionate than normal.'

'Are you sure it's not just allowing your compassionate side to show through?'

Mai laughed and shrugged.

'I guess we'll have to wait till I have my full strength back to find out.'

* * *

_There was a strange kind of tension around the dinner table. The girl sat with her legs crossed in much the same manner his son used to adopt when he thought he could get away with it. She ate like him too, barely taking a breath between mouthfuls. Since she'd dropped the spooky girl act, everything she did and said was exactly like his son. It chilled him to the very core. This girl wouldn't have even been born when Jay died, there was just no way she could know so much about his life. Either this was some very clever and very elaborate trick or..._

_ 'I hadn't realised how much I missed your cooking,' her eyes turned towards his wife. 'Thanks for doing this for me.'_

_ 'No problem,' a weak smile pulled at her lips. _

_ 'I'm sorry, this all must be kinda strange for you Ma,' the girl studied her for a moment. 'I didn't mean to stay away for so long, honest, I just didn't know how to come back any sooner.'_

_ 'It's alright,' her body came alive with a jittery kind of energy, 'it's not like we expected you back.'_

_ 'I know, but I found it just impossible to stay away,' the girl's eyes met with Baz's. 'Call it unfinished business. I'll only be here for a week.'_

_ 'Only a weak,' she sounded disappointed. 'Can't you... can't you stay longer than that?'_

_ 'I only have a week.'_

_ 'Right, well I'll make up the sofa bed for you.'_

_ 'Why, what's wrong with my room?'_

_ 'Your room is a shrine,' Baz grunted and almost instantly wished he hadn't spoken._

_ 'A shrine,' the girl's eyes focused on him, 'I never realised I meant so much to you.'_

_ 'Actually it was my idea,' his wife twittered, 'what kind of mother would I have been if I didn't preserve the only thing I had left of my boy.'_

_ 'I didn't mean to leave you Ma, not like that.' _

_ The girl placed a hand on top of his wife's. His wife flinched away and for a moment the girl looked hurt. Then she lowered her gaze and pushed her plate away from her._

_ 'I'm sorry, this is all so normal for me, but it's a lot for you to get your head around.'_

_ 'It's alright dear,' his wife forced a smile onto her face, 'it's nice to have you back.'_

_ 'You've no idea how hard I tried to get back here. I would have been back sooner, I wanted to be back sooner, but it was impossible for me to get away.'_

_ 'It's okay dear; you don't have to explain yourself to me.'_

_ 'That's what you said when I told you I was moving out.'_

_ 'I know, I do remember.' She lowered her head. 'Jay?'_

_ 'Yes Ma?'_

_ 'Nothing, I was just checking it was you.'_

_ For a long time there was a tense and awkward silence. A part of Baz wanted it to remain. He couldn't stand one more second of pretending to have a normal conversation with this girl. But the silence could never last and when it was broken it felt as though it was only done to shatter everything._

_ 'How's Roxanna doing?' The girl's eyes flicked between them. 'She was, what, thirteen when I left. And it's been seventeen years so she must be thirty now, right?'_

_ 'Mmm, yes that right.' His wife nodded. 'She's doing well. Married with kids.'_

_ 'Who'd she marry?'_

_ 'Sly.'_

_ 'Wow,' the girl's features changed into a wide and curious expression, 'I never would have guessed that. How...?'_

_ 'They got close and fell in love. I must admit I had my reservations at first, not that I thought he was a bad kid, I mean he was your best friend since before you started school, but...'_

_ 'The age gap.' She pressed her lips together. 'Well if she's happy... if they're happy then I guess I have no problem with it. So what about my baby sister? Where's Tammy now?'_

_ 'We don't talk about her.' Baz felt himself tense._

_ 'Why? What happened?'_

_ 'The seventeenth of March is not a good day in this house.'_

_ 'Well since it was the day I... left I wouldn't imagine it being a joyous occasion. But what else happened? Where's Tammy?'_

_ 'She was very sick dear,' his wife tensed, 'epilepsy, least that's what the doctors told us. It was hard... to watch... she was such a beautiful little girl. We tried everything, but in the end... It was like she held out for that day. So that we would only have one...'_

_ 'I'm sorry Ma,' the girl placed a hand on her arm again and this time she didn't flinch away. 'How old was she when...?'_

_ 'Seven... she would have been seven, if...'_

_ 'Born on the same day, died on the same day.' Baz got up from the table. _

_ 'Neither of those things were deliberate,' the girl stared at him._

_ 'Of course they weren't,' his statement sounded angrier than he'd meant it to. 'Just like you up and dying on us wasn't deliberate.'_

_ 'I didn't up and die on you. I was murdered.'_

_ 'Murdered?' His wife laughed. 'Your death was an accident Jay, what's all this talk about murder?'_

_ 'My death was no accident Ma, I was murdered. That's what I've come back to settle. That's my unfinished business. I need to bring my murderer to justice.' The girl's eyes locked with Baz's._

_ 'But surely that will take you more than a week...'_

_ 'No, it will take me exactly a week,' her face filled with a pleasant little smile. 'It'll take me exactly to the eighteenth.'_

_ 'The eighteenth,' his wife laughed, 'that's a week before your father's birthday.'_

_ 'I know, but trust me, that's all the time I'll need.'_

* * *

Tristan took a deep breath in and tried to process the information he'd just been given. Clearly Catilin wasn't the only one who was _unstable_. To say Octan had a few issues of his own would be an understatement, but for him to do that to someone... to an innocent girl who had enough problems of her own without him adding to them... Tristan had no idea what Octan was hoping to achieve by telling him any of this or even if this was just some reaction to Octan slowly losing his mind with guilt. All Tristan knew for sure was that, like it or not, he was involved now. Anger and dread aside he had to face this situation head on and take whatever it threw at him.

'It was easy,' Octan-Jay broke the silence between them. 'It shouldn't have been so easy, but it was. I manipulated her. I controlled her. I turned her into a perfect copy of Jay. Near perfect,' he laughed, 'if she was a perfect copy of him she would never have been able to kill for me.'

'Because it's not in Jay's nature to do so, right?' Tristan studied him. 'I've met the guy; I can't believe he has a bad bone in his whole body. But you...'

'Age has worn on me, I guess. I've lived much longer than I should have. I've seen much more than I should have. That was thanks to the Boy, you know. It was a fate you were spared from sharing, but it's the hell I live. To know there's no end for me. To know I'll never rejoin the Light. It's a torturous kind of hell and maybe it's taken its toll on me. But that doesn't mean I wasn't justified. What I did to her. What I got her to do. I was justified.'

'Then why are you feeling so guilty about it?'

'Just because what I did was justified, doesn't mean it wasn't wrong.' Octan-Jay shrugged. 'Besides, I have this soft spot for Jay and he has one for Catilin. If he knew what I'd done... justified or not he would hate me for it.'

'Of course he's going to hate you for it.' Tristan felt himself getting angry. 'What you did was wrong. It was more than wrong. It was sick. It's the most depraved thing I've ever heard and considering the kind of trouble my friendship group has experience lately, that's saying a lot. You took a mentally ill girl and turned her into a murderer because you wanted revenge. You can tell me you were justified till you're blue in the face I'm never going to believe you.'

'Are you saying that _monster_ should have gotten away with what he did?'

'No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying your method of justice was wrong. I'm not even sure why I'm still here talking to you.'

'It's because you know I haven't finished yet. It's because you know there's still more to this story.' Octan-Jay's face filled with an almost wild story. 'Because there has to be more to this story, right? If there wasn't why would I be sat here talking to you right now? You can't leave until you know all of it. And when you know all of it you have to make a choice.'

'What kind of choice?'

'Don't you remember how this started Tristan?' His eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and excitement. 'I told you I needed your help. That I couldn't sense what I needed to sense myself, because I was too close to her. Because Jay was too close to her.'

'I remember you saying something like that...'

'I call it a choice, but it's not. Not really. Because when you've heard everything I have to say, you will help me.'

'How can you be so sure?'

'Catilin is with your friend Joey right now. She may not remember what she did, but that killer I created is still inside of her.'

'Are you saying Joey could be in some kind of danger?'

'Now you're beginning to see the choice you're going to be face with,' Octan-Jay smirked. 'Let me finish my story first. Let me tell you everything. Once you've heard everything you can make your choice. But I'm telling you now, you don't really have much of a choice.'


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50**

'You didn't want any more sandwiches, did you?' Catilin's dark brown eyes studied him for a moment. 'Only that was the last of the bread.

'It's okay, I'm full now,' Joey smiled back at her.

'Good,' she half laughed, 'I like bread.'

'I never would have guessed, your appetites almost got mine beat and I thought I could eat a lot.'

'I like bread,' she grinned.

'So what do we do now?' Joey's eyes glanced around the cabin for a moment. 'I mean, it's getting pretty late...'

'But... I wanna play a little longer.' Catilin's lower lip trembled a little. 'I could teach you some spells.'

'Spells?' Joey frowned. 'We can do spells?'

'Uh-huh. Magic is magic whether it's Reama or Elemental or Ohpayo so it's not just physical stuff we can do. There are spells and charms and chants and things; some of its all ceremonial and religious, but some of its useful and ordinary. I could teach you some spells. In fact I could teach you one so you could see your friends,' Catilin's eyes lit up with excitement. 'Wait here.'

Without giving him a chance to answer she disappeared into the next room. When she came back she was carrying a reasonably sized, square mirror. She placed this down on the table between them and grinned at Joey.

'Locator spells have a big big range, some are basic basic and others are really hard to master. We're going to start with some basic basic ones since you're only just getting the hang of being Silkoneon.'

'Okay, what do I need to do?' Joey felt strangely eager.

'Touch the top left corner and the bottom right corner with your fingertips, then say _valas_ _meto_ _valas_… and the name of the person you want to see.'

'Okay...' tentatively he did as he was told, touching the mirror as she had instructed. 'Valas meto valas Serenity.'

Almost instantly his reflection was replaced by the image of his sister. The sight was such a shock to him he jerked his hands back. The second he did his own reflection returned. Catilin laughed and Joey felt his skin flush red.

'I didn't expect it to work first time.'

'It's okay; I got scared a bit when I first started learning.' Catilin nudged the mirror towards him. 'It's the problem when you're more powerful than you think; things come to you quickly when you expect them to be hard. Try again.'

'Okay,' he replaced his hands on the mirror. 'Valas meto valas Serenity.'

His sister appeared in the mirror again, just as quickly as before. This time though he took a deep breath in and watched as the image zoomed out revealing the hospital room she was in. Serenity was half asleep on one of the chairs whilst Mai snoozed next to her. On the bed Duke lay unconscious, whilst nearby Téa and Yugi hunched over the book Catilin had leant them. The scene was ordinary and peaceful, but Joey didn't know if he felt relieved or not.

'I think I like Duke,' Catilin tilted her head to one side. 'I wasn't sure when I saw him. There's something... but I think I like that something. Is he a good friend?' Her eyes turned up towards Joey.

'I wouldn't exactly rave about him, but he's not a bad guy.' Joey shrugged.

'We need to help him wake up soon. I think I'd like to make friends with him and you can't make friends with someone who's unconscious; even for a Calicaccu that doesn't work.'

'You can make friends with all of them you know.' Joey studied her for a moment. 'You don't have to be on your own anymore and I want to share my friends with you.'

'What, all of them?'

'Yeah, all of them. Serenity and Duke and Téa and Mai and Yugi and Tristan...' Joey hesitated for a moment and turned his gaze back towards the mirror. 'Hey where is Tristan?'

'Ask the mirror.' Catilin shifted her position so she was kneeling on the chair. 'The mirror will tell you. Ask the mirror.'

Joey nodded and removed his fingers from the corners of the mirror. He waited for the image on it to revert back to his own reflection before placing his hands back into position.

'Valas meto valas Tristan.'

* * *

'_I want you out of my house now!'_

_ Baz's eyes locked with the girls. He'd taken just about all he could take of her. She had to go. Now. Before she did something they both might regret._

_ 'But Baz, I only just got home, you can't want to kick me out already. Just what kind of father are you?'_

_ 'I don't know what twisted game you're playing little girl, but I've had about all I can take of it. You're time is up, I want you out of my house now.'_

_ 'But I told you I was staying for a week. Last I checked it had only been two days.'_

_ 'You cannot stay. I won't let you.'_

_ 'And I won't let you kick me out,' she cocked her head to one side, 'so I guess we're in a stalemate.'_

_ Baz continued to hold her gaze. His teeth gritted tightly together as he mentally told himself over and over that this girl was just trying to trick him. His son was dead. Dead and buried and never coming back. It didn't matter how unnerving this girl was to have around, there was no way she would convince him that she was his son._

_ 'You're looking a little pale there Baz, are you feeling okay?'_

_ 'I want to know who your source was.'_

_ 'Who my what was?' _

_ 'Your source little girl, who told you about Jay.' Baz folded his arms. 'You might have a very convincing little act going. And I have to give you some credit; you've even got that tough guy bit he would occasionally pull down. But you are not my son and I want you out of my house.'_

_ 'It would be very convenient for you if I wasn't him, wouldn't it? Because that means I don't know anything. That I'm not a real threat to this falsely earned happiness of yours.' The girl smirked at him. 'But I am Jay. I am your son. I am the boy you threatened to cut off his manhood when I was only three. I am the boy whose arm you broke on more occasions than I can count. Whose forehead you cut open. Whose arm was pierced by a nail when you caused me to fall down the stairs.'_

_ 'I...'_

_ 'I am the boy whose life you made a living hell because I wasn't the daughter that you wanted.' She half stalked towards him. 'And I am the boy you pushed to his death...'_

_ 'I didn't push you.'_

_ 'Oh Baz, neither one of us believes that.' She shook her head. _

_ 'What happened was an accident,' Baz half turned away from her, 'you... Jay... wasn't mean to die.'_

_ 'I'm sorry, but that's generally what happens when you're pushed from a great height.'_

_ 'I didn't...'_

_ 'You pushed me Baz, don't deny it now. Don't do either of us the injustice of denying it now. You pushed me.'_

_ 'You weren't supposed to leave. You were supposed to stay here. You weren't allowed to leave.'_

_ 'Oh I'm sorry Baz, but death kinda has that effect on people. It makes them leave even when they really don't want to.'_

_ 'You weren't supposed to die and you weren't supposed to leave. I needed you here.'_

_ 'Why, so you could continue to torture me? What kind of a man are you?'_

_ 'I was your father,' Baz felt himself getting almost uncontrollably angry. 'You were mine to treat however I wanted. And I never did anything to you my own father didn't do to me. In fact compared to him I was a saint.'_

_ 'Somehow I find that hard to believe.' The girl folded her arms and turned away from him. 'But no matter, just a few more days Baz and then it'll be the eighteenth.'_

_ 'A week before my birthday...'_

_ 'Can you feel it Baz, what's going to happen, can you feel it?' _

* * *

Tristan buried his face in his hands and began to wish he was anywhere but where he was right then. If he could have found some way out he would have, but Octan was right. Now he knew Joey could be in danger, no matter what he was told next he knew he would make the choice to help Octan. Inside the feeling of dread was begging him to find some kind of get out clause; something which would allow him to protect his friends and help Octan without feeling so dirty. There had to be something...

'Does it have to be you I work with?'

'What?' Octan-Jay frowned at him.

'This thing you want me to do, does it have to be you I work with or can it be Jay?' Tristan pressed his lips together. 'I promise I won't tell him anything you don't want him to know, but... I can't stand the thought of working with you. If I agree to help you, can I work with Jay to do it?'

For a few long moments Octan-Jay was silent. Then a strange smile crept across his face.

'I knew there was a reason I needed you two to talk.'

'Is that a yes then?' Tristan studied him.

'Yeah, it doesn't need to be me you're working with. In fact, it might be better if it is Jay. I'm not sure I can stand to look at the mess that I've made.'

'Your _justified_ mess you mean?'

'My justified mess,' he laughed, 'it's almost a contradiction in terms, isn't it?'

'Well you would know; you're the one who created this mess of yours.' Tristan folded his arms. 'So are you going to finish your little story or not?'

* * *

'How come it's not working?' Joey's eyes flicked up towards her when the mirror continued to reflect his own face. 'I mean, last time it was instant, right? So...?'

'Try again maybe?'

'Valas meto valas Tristan.'

Joey waited for a moment. Still nothing. A strange feeling of concern laced the pit of his stomach. Tristan had been through a lot that day; could he somehow be in trouble again?

'Huh,' Catilin tilted her head in thought, 'maybe he's out of range.'

'Out of range?' Joey stared at her. 'A mirror has a range?'

'No silly, the spell does,' Catilin laughed for a moment.

'But I don't see him going too far away from the others right now. Not when Duke still needs help.' Joey frowned. 'He's not the kind of guy who just walks off when there's danger.'

'Well maybe he's just somewhere the spell can't get to then.' Catilin shrugged.

'What do you mean?'

'There are places in range of the spell which might block magic. Like a heavy wood or somewhere with lots of water or maybe even a magical hotspot.'

'Wouldn't a magical hotspot make him easier to find?'

'The locator spell you're doing is very, very basic. A lot of magic can block it. There are even some people who can just by being in a location.'

'Could Tristan be with one of these people?'

'I dunno,' Catilin shot him a strange look, 'what are you asking me for?'

'Tristan's not exactly had the best of luck today,' Joey chewed his lower lip, 'I'm worried he might be in some kind of danger. I just want to know he's okay.'

'Then we try another spell,' Catilin grinned at him. 'We'll find him. Promise.'

* * *

_The eighteenth had come far too quickly. A part of Flo felt a little disappointed, but there wasn't a whole lot she could do. As she came home from work she couldn't help but let all the confused thoughts she'd been having circle round her head. The girl who claimed to be her son had filled her with this strange kind of happiness. A happiness only a mother could know. But the week had been overshadowed by the girl's promise of justice and the imminent expectation of her departure._

_ Flo had no idea what time the girl was planning to leave, but when she arrived home to a silent house her heart sank. She didn't even get the chance to say goodbye. A heavy sigh escaped her as she made her way into the living room. Her husband was slumped on one of the arm chairs. His eyes closed and his head drooped like he was sleeping. A deep frown spread across Flo's face; her husband didn't take naps, he considered them a pointless waste of time. _

_ Her hands shook more than a little as she made her way towards him. There was something not right about this picture; something which left her with only feelings of dread and imminent danger. She knelt down beside her husband and touched his hand. It was stone cold. Without hesitation she withdrew it. She took several deep breaths in and tried to calm herself enough to figure out what she was supposed to do next. No answer came to her. _

_ After what felt like an eternity of just staring at him, Flo's automatic pilot seemed to kick in. She turned and moved towards the house phone. She then let her fingers dial in the number and listen for the operator to answer._

_ 'Hello,' her voice trembled with the effort of her words, 'I... I need help. My... my husband is... my... my husband is... is... dead.' _


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51**

'I told you before I knew she was crazy,' Octan-Jay turned his head away from Tristan, 'but the killing really changed her. It was like... like the good, innocent if completely spaced little girl she was didn't exist anymore. It was terrifying... she was out of control. Or at least she was out of my control. The Mistresses they... they stepped in. They had to; it was the only way to put the monster back into the box.'

'Put it back into the box, but not destroy it, right?' Tristan gave a disgusted sigh. 'The monster... the killer you turned her into is still inside of her, right? Just waiting to get out.'

'It was why she had to be kept away from everybody. Why Sil became her prison and Jay her unsuspecting prison-guard.' Octan-Jay laughed. 'It's the most ludicrous thing you've ever heard of, right? A prisoner who can't remember their own crime and a prison-guard who doesn't know they're guarding a criminal. I'm telling you; sometimes the Mistresses jokes are almost too sick for words.'

'I'd hardly call it they're joke since you're the one who created the situation.'

'You're right and they were far from happy with me. That's why they made sure I'd never forget what a wretch I was.' He smirked and shook his head. 'See they knew Jay and I couldn't be around to watch over her all the time, so they put a nice little alarm system in place. You know, just in case she ever got the inclination to leave Sil. An alarm system designed to make sure I would have to be the one to go in and clear up whatever mess was created. You see, me sitting here with you now is my punishment. Or maybe it's supposed to be my redemption. Or just a chance for me to confess my sins, I'm not totally sure which. And to be honest I don't think the Mistresses really care so long as I hang my head in shame and cry over the terrible thing I've done.'

'But you still think you're justified,' Tristan glared at him, 'the only thing which seems to worry you is losing Jay's trust.'

'And you see my problem is the Mistresses know that. It's why I was told to do the confession thing. See I can ask you and beg you and plead with your good graces not to tell Jay. I can explain what I did and why I did it and hope somehow you understand. But at the end of the day, once you're done helping me, the final part of my punishment will rest with you. See only you can decide whether Jay finds out or not.'

'Gee, lucky me, what did I do to earn this little privilege.' Tristan rolled his eyes. 'No wait, let me guess. This little alarm system the Mistresses set up has something to do with it, right? You're sat here having this nice little conversation with me because I was an ammovate. The alarm system was the Boy, right?'

'Amazing, the confidence you have with all this knowledge, it's like you've known all this stuff for years.' Octan-Jay studied him for a moment. 'This place we are now it's special. It heightens all the potential buried within us. It's why I'm feeling so irrational and why you're taking to this situation like a fish takes to water. But I wonder just how sharp you'll be when you and Jay have to go it alone out there.'

'I believe you've reached the end of your story now Octan,' Tristan folded his arms. 'So are you going to give me my choice or not?'

'I need you to help me find out if the darkness within Catilin is going to become a threat. I'm too close to her now to sense the changes moving within her, but your experience as an ammovate has left an impression on you. Like I said before, this is temporary, but temporary is all I need right now.'

'Why, even if the darkness isn't a problem now, it still could become one in the future, right?'

For a few long minutes Octan-Jay just stared at Tristan, then he sighed and shrugged.

'Look, I'll level with you, although I wasn't lying about not being able to sense what's going on inside Catilin anymore, asking you to help me like this was the Mistresses idea. I don't know why, it wasn't part of the original arrangement. The original arrangement was just that I was to confess to the ammovate and then assess the victim. But they've decided to change things slightly and you're the reason.'

'Okay.'

'Okay?'

'I've made my choice.'

'You have?'

'Yeah I have,' Tristan felt the dread in his stomach tighten with anticipation, 'I'm working with Jay.'

* * *

A strange feeling was stirring inside of Catilin and she wasn't totally sure she understood why. It wasn't that she didn't understand the worried part of her feelings, because she knew something was happening which shouldn't be happening. But there was something else there too. Something she wasn't so sure she could understand; like a chill in the pit of her stomach and it stirred within her making her think things she didn't like. The sense she'd done something bad filled her again making her more anxious and worried than she already was.

Looking for comfort her eyes turned up towards Joey. He was staring down at the still unrevealing mirror looking as though his best friend had just died or something. That thought made Catilin's insides knot further; what if his best friend really was dead?

'We have to try something else. Something stronger.' Joey gritted his teeth. 'We have to find him.'

'I'm sure he's okay,' her voice lacked any conviction.

'If he's okay why can't we find him?'

'I... I don't know.'

'Catilin...!'

She reached a hand out towards him and placed it on his shoulder. Almost as soon as she had something flashed through her own mind. A dark face. The flicker of a memory. The cold feeling inside her stomach became stronger, forcing her to withdraw her hand. Everything in her wanted to tell Joey she wasn't feeling right, but something stopped her. It was like a little voice at the back of her head warning her not to, but she didn't understand why.

'There... there are stronger spells,' Catilin forced the words out of her mouth. 'They... they require us combining our powers though.'

'Anything, I don't care,' Joey stared at her, 'if something's happened to Tristan I need to know about it.'

'Okay... it'll be okay,' she lowered her head and tried to convince herself of her own words. 'We'll find him and he'll be okay.'

'Can you promise me that?'

'I...'

'I'll never forgive myself if something's happened to him.'

'But... but it wouldn't be your fault Veronie.'

'Wouldn't it?' Joey's eyes met with hers. 'He's had one hell of a day as it is, it's only natural something else would happen. I should have stuck around to make sure he was okay; instead I was selfish and left him to deal with the aftermath on his own. What if that was more than he could handle? What if it got him into some kind of trouble? Cat...'

'We'll find him Veronie, I promise.'

'Before or after it's too late?'

'I...' Catilin shook her head. 'I... I don't know... I... I just know we'll find him.'

* * *

'You really are different, you know that Tristan,' Octan-Jay smirked.

'Yeah, whatever, just explain to me what I have to do already.' Tristan turned his gaze away from him. 'I mean, do we need to go to where Catilin is for this or what?'

'Are you really in that much of a rush to get rid of me?'

'You're a deluded psychopath who used and manipulated a confused but innocent young girl turning her into a murderer, you're not exactly on my top ten list of people I want to hang around with right now.'

'You know it's going to be harder for you to work with Jay, right? Since he doesn't know what's really going on here.'

'I'm not working with you,' Tristan folded his arms. 'So tell me exactly how I'm supposed to do this and...'

'You know it's me and not Jay you need to assess the status of your little friend Duke, right? I'll be the only one who able to find out how, if and when he'll wake up.'

'We'll cross that bridge when it comes to it. Right now I need you to tell me what to do so I can get rid of you already.'

'I like you,' Octan-Jay lowered his head a little, 'you cut right to the chase, don't you?'

'Whatever, just outline this little plan of yours for me would you?'

'What makes you think I have a plan,' Octan-Jay shrugged. 'I've told you everything I can; unfortunately for us both the rest is up to you.'

'What? What's that supposed to mean?' Tristan stared at him. 'Aren't you going to give me anything more than that?'

'I told you, there's nothing more I can give you. It's time to let Jay back into the driver's seat...'

'No, no I can't let you go just like that.' Tristan grabbed hold of his wrist. 'There has to be more you can tell me. Like how the hell I'm supposed to know what I'm looking for in Catilin. Or where the hell she is. Or anything. Anything. What's my starting point here?'

'I thought you wanted rid of me.'

'I do, but not until I believe you've told me everything I need to know,' Tristan gritted his teeth. 'So if there's anything more you'd like to share now's the time. I can tell Jay whatever I like about our conversation, remember? So talk fast and talk now. What else do I need to know?'

'What makes you so sure there is anything?'

'I don't know; I just know that I am and that's good enough for me.'

* * *

The glass of the mirror appeared to ripple like water as their reflection disappeared to finally be replaced by the inside of a fast food joint. The place looked familiar, although Catilin was certain she'd never been there before. It made her stomach squirm and caused the cold feeling to get stronger. The mirror zoned in on one of the booths, in it sat Tristan and a companion. The cold feeling inside of her spiked into fear; although she wasn't sure why she could feel her palms start to sweat and her heart to pound in her ears.

'Octan...'

'What?' Joey blinked at her. 'Is that the name of the guy he's with? Do you know him?'

'Mm,' Catilin nodded, 'he's the one who's been looking after me here. Kinda.'

'What do you mean kind of?'

'There's two of them but they only have one face. I know the difference mostly, but sometimes when I'm confused it's hard to tell.'

'Do you mean they're twins?'

'No. They share the same face. The same body. They are one, but there's two of them.'

'Like Yugi and the Pharaoh you mean?' Joey frowned.

'A little, only not the same.'

'So this guy's on the level then? He can be trusted.'

'Mm, I think so.' Catilin felt herself squirm.

'What is it? Is there something about this guy I should know about?'

'No,' Catilin shook her head, 'but my tummy doesn't like the idea of them being together. I wish I knew what they were saying. I know a spell which will let us listen.'

'I don't know,' Joey pulled a face, 'wouldn't that be an invasion of privacy?'

'So is a locator spell and you had no problem doing that.' Catilin frowned. 'And anyway weren't you the one who was all concerned about Tristan just now. I thought you would want to make sure he's okay.'

'I can see he's okay,' Joey sighed. 'I'm curious about what's going on, sure, but not enough to invade his privacy like that. I have my limits Catilin and this is one of them.'

'But I don't understand,' Catilin stared at him, 'you were so desperate to find out what was happening to him.'

'And now I have. You've told me yourself he's in no danger with Octan, right?'

'Yes, but... something... my tummy feels all cold and I don't like it.'

'Catilin,' his voice was firm, 'I said no. We're not going to listen in on them.'

'But...'

'I said no.' Joey pulled his hands away from the frame allowing the image to disappear.

'Are you mad at me now?' Catilin lowered her gaze.

'No, I'm not mad at you.' Joey placed a hand on her arm, causing another round of images to flash through her head. 'But maybe we should do something else now, okay?'

'Okay.'

* * *

'She's seen us,' Octan-Jay turned his head towards the ceiling.

'Huh?'

'She and the Lutoni have been trying to locate you for a while now. I guess she was teaching him some locator spells and he got all concerned when you weren't with your friends.' He smirked. 'I guess that means we'll have to help Duke first, just to be on the safe side.'

'Wait, what, I'm confused,' Tristan frowned at him, 'you knew she was trying to find me?'

'Of course, just because I can't read her as well as I used to doesn't mean I can't still sense her magic.'

'Why didn't you say anything?'

'What's the matter; don't you want her to know you're with me?'

'Considering what you did, not really.'

'She doesn't remember.'

'No, but something in her does, right? Isn't that basically what you've been telling me? Something in her remembers and that's what you want me to watch out for. Isn't that what all this has been about?'

'Are you afraid?' Octan-Jay laughed.

'I don't know, should I be?' Tristan studied him for a moment. 'Isn't this about the worst thing which could have happened right now?'

'Perhaps.'

For a few long minutes Tristan continued to study him. The feeling of dread inside of his stomach told him something he didn't really want to think about. He gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the feeling but it was impossible.

'You wanted her to see us together,' Tristan allowed the words to slip out.

'Perhaps. I guess you could say it depends on whether you think I wanted to help Duke now just so I could stick around a little longer now. Then again you yourself said you didn't know how you were going to be able to find her, so maybe this is all for the best.'

'You're making this difficult for me on purpose, aren't you? You want her after my blood to punish me.'

'Tristan, how can you say that, we don't even know if the darkness within her has stirred yet or not.' Octan-Jay leant casually back in his seat.

'And this is your test to find out?' Tristan cocked an eyebrow.

'Who knows,' Octan-Jay shrugged. 'I told you this place was making me irrational. I've not been thinking so clearly since we arrived. That's why my explanation has been... well I guess you'll have to tell me how it's been. All I know is she's seen us. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing you'll have to wait and see. Now, what do you say we help your little friend Duke? There may not be time after and there's probably not a whole lot of time before either. Exciting, isn't it?'

'I really don't like you.' Tristan glared.

'Shame that,' he smirked, 'because I'm growing really rather fond of you.'


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52**

A strange feeling surrounded her. She wasn't quite sure where it was coming from, but she knew the others felt it too. It was why she had taken the three of them somewhere quiet. Somewhere she could reflect and work out what was going on. Her lifelong companion sat beside her and for once she didn't mind the way their fingers interlocked. It increased the strangeness of the situation but didn't create it.

'I wonder how he's able to play at a time like this.'

'He plays for the same reason we sit like this. He doesn't know what else to do.'

'Something's coming.'

'I know.'

'What is it?'

'You're the Prophet, you tell me.'

'It feels like the end, doesn't it?'

'Perhaps,' she rested her head against the Prophet's shoulder.

'This thing that's coming, it's about to change everything and we won't be needed anymore. There won't be a place for us.'

'Does that frighten you?'

'Doesn't it frighten you?'

'No,' she shook her head, 'I've never been afraid when I'm with you. You're the other part of myself. You're the bit which makes it all worth it. You make me complete.'

'But what if this is it? What if this is the end for us? Aren't you afraid?'

'We have been around a long time Prophet; we stopped being useful a long time ago yet still we exist. We continued to exist because things weren't changing. Things were in limbo. That limbo is about to lift, we all feel it and we all know we may not have a place in what's to come.'

'I don't want things to change,' the Prophet gripped her companion's hand. 'I like the limbo.'

'We all do. The limbo might have meant we were useless, but at least we were safe; there was never any fear of what's to come here. But we all knew it wouldn't last forever. None of us were made to be here for all time.'

'Things are about to change.'

'Yes. Are you afraid?'

'Yes. I'm afraid of being without you.'

'You'll never be without me. I was made to be with you and you were made to be with me. We can only exist together. Whatever happens to us will happen to both of us. You'll never be without me.'

'Why am I only realising it now?'

'Realising what?'

'All this time I've spent looking down on you, hating you, why didn't I see it before?'

'See what?'

'You're not the one who needed me; I'm the one who would be nothing without you.' She paused for a moment. 'The limbo will end soon.'

'Yes and then everything will change.'

* * *

Yugi half jumped when the door to the room they were in opened. He'd been pretty engrossed in the book he'd been reading and hadn't even noticed how quiet the room had become. The sudden noise brought him back to reality with a bump. The bump landed harder when he spotted Tristan and his new companion. There was something almost dark about the serious expression Tristan was wearing which unnerved Yugi. For a few long moments he was almost afraid to ask what had happened, but the silence was more than he could bear.

'Hey Tristan,' Yugi tried to sound casual, 'where have you been?'

'Further away than I meant to be,' he shrugged, 'sorry I've been gone so long but... I've been talking.'

'Hey,' Tristan's companion took a step into the room, 'sorry I kept your friend away for so long but... it was necessary.'

'Why?' Yugi could feel his own curiosity mix in with the Pharaoh's. 'What's going on? Who are you?'

'The name's Octan.'

'I recognise that name,' Téa pulled herself back from the window to join in with the conversation.

'You should, I'm kinda famous.'

'He's the one who can help Duke,' Tristan's voice was flat. 'His help just comes at a price.'

'What kind of price?' Serenity blinked up at him.

'You sound tired.' Octan ignored her question. 'It's been a long day for you, hasn't it? And by now I'm pretty sure you must be missing your brother,' he slowly walked towards where she was sitting. 'Don't worry; I'm sure she'll be back with him soon.'

'Stay away from her,' Tristan grabbed hold of Octan's shoulder and roughly pulled him away. 'You're here to help Duke, that's all. Once you're done it's bye-bye Octan.'

'And hello Jay, right? So you can... how did you put it... pay the price?' Octan smirked at him.

'I've had just about all I can take of you,' Tristan shoved him backwards.

'Really,' Octan chuckled, 'cuz I feel we could go a few more rounds.'

Yugi spotted Tristan's fist just as it was flying through the air towards Octan. Somehow Téa managed to catch hold of his hand before the blow could connect and Yugi could only guess at how she was the one who'd managed to spot it first. A sudden and very icy silence filled the room whilst Octan and Tristan stared each other down. It was clear something big and bad had happened between the two of them and Yugi really didn't think he wanted to find out what.

'God Tristan, you can almost smell the testosterone in here,' Téa let go of his arm. 'Calm down would you, Octan's here to help Duke and I'm pretty sure he's not going to be able to do that unconscious.'

'Whatever,' Tristan pulled back.

'So, can you really help Duke?' Téa's eyes turned towards Octan.

'You're friend is suffering from a type of mental exhaustion.' Octan smiled at her. 'It's left him weak, at the point of death even, but there is a way to bring him back.'

'Mental exhaustion,' Téa frowned for a moment, 'is that similar to what Mai experienced in the Shadow Realm.'

'Shadow Plain.' His voice was almost too sharp for the correction he was making. 'It's a Plain not a Realm.'

'Sorry, I didn't realise there was a difference.'

'Well there is,' Octan folded his arms. 'So care to rephrase your little question?'

'Err... okay,' Téa squirmed a little, 'is the mental exhaustion Duke's experiencing similar to the kind Marik inflicted on Mai in the Shadow Plain?'

'Similar, but not the same,' Octan tilted his head in thought. 'There's more than one kind of mental energy. Some control a persons' inner strength, whilst others controls a persons' personal strength.'

'Isn't that the same thing?'

'No. No it's really not.' His gaze narrowed on her for a moment. 'You're an inquisitive little bit, aren't you? I think I like that. I like enquiring minds, even those attached to volatile beings,' his gaze flicked towards Tristan for a moment.

'I'd sooner be volatile than insane,' Tristan rolled his eyes. 'So are you going to help Duke or what?'

'It's not such a simple process you know,' Octan made his way towards Duke's bed. 'To have your personal strength drawn from you first is very dangerous. And you have to remember the Boy was trying to take everything from him. When he wakes up he might not be the Duke you remember. He might not even be the Duke _he_ remembers.'

'What do you mean?' Yugi heard alarm bells go off inside his head.

'There are parts of him which do not exist in him anymore; parts of him that the Boy has taken and can't ever give back. Consider it a kind of amnesia, these holes may repair themselves in time, but you may never get the Duke you knew back. And right now even his own name is lost to him.'

'What...?'

'The most important thing to the Boy is taking the name of his victim,' Octan flicked a cold gaze in Yugi's direction, 'and for him to take it they have to give it up. Literally disown it. Duke may not have given the Boy his name before Catilin, Tristan and the Lutoni saved him, but he had disowned it. With a hole like that his mind is almost too easy to manipulate right now. Anyone in this room could bend and shape him to their will. He could become anyone you wanted.'

'We want him to be Duke,' Tristan caught hold of the hand Octan was reaching towards their unconscious friend. 'If you even think about trying anything, I swear.'

'I wouldn't even dream of trying it,' Octan shot him a look, 'not with you looking over my shoulder at any rate. No, the best thing for your friend is to let his mind pull itself back together. That way he'll stand a pretty good chance of getting back to the friend you all remember. And that is what you want, right?'

'So is this the part where you help him wake up now?'

'Yes Octan, is this the part where you help?' Catilin appeared out of nowhere in the centre of the room. 'Or do you need to have another long and private conversation with Tristan first?'

Tristan and Octan exchanged a look and Yugi couldn't help but notice the way Tristan gripped the material over his stomach.

'Hey Catilin,' Serenity shot her a polite smile, 'where's my brother?'

'He's on Sil, practicing a few techniques I was showing him,' she smirked for a moment. 'I told him I needed to gather a few supplies. I do, but since Veronie wouldn't let me listen in on your little conversation I thought I'd come to ask about it instead.'

'Our conversation is none of your concern Catilin.' Octan fixed his gaze on her.

'Then why were you trying so hard to keep me out?'

'That was for my sake,' Tristan gritted his teeth, 'Octan knew I'd been having a rough time of it today and thought I could do with some privacy which was actually private.'

'Really?' Catilin's gaze narrowed on him. 'How considerate of you Octan, thinking about somebody else's feelings for once.'

'What can I say, I'm a considerate guy.' Octan shrugged.

'I should be getting back to Sil now,' Catilin turned away from them. 'I promise not to keep Veronie too much longer. Or at least I promise to try.'

With that she disappeared and Yugi found himself suppressing a shudder. He knew Catilin was nothing like Lillyannu, but there was something so cold about the way she'd just been acting; it was almost as if she was a completely different person. Not just different to Lillyannu, but different to the girl they'd started getting to know.

'Looks like you and my dear Jay will be left with a slightly different objective once I'm done with Duke,' Octan sent an amused look in Tristan's direction.

'I guess her little visit did just make my original payment null en void,' Tristan sighed, 'even an idiot could tell something wasn't right there.'

'So you're agreeing to help.'

'I'd already agreed to help,' Tristan shot him a look, 'just because the how has changed doesn't mean the what has; or something like that. But it's still going to be me and Jay, you got it? If I have to put up with you any longer than I absolutely have to there will be violence.'

'Of course.'

'Err... Tristan, what's going on?' Téa blinked at him. 'Is there something wrong with Catilin?'

'Trust me Téa,' Tristan turned away from her, 'you're better off not knowing the answer to that.'

* * *

Joey was starting to feel anxious. He knew Catilin hadn't exactly given him a choice before taking off on her own, but he still felt like he should have insisted on going with her or at least worked out how to follow her. For all he knew she could have gotten lost or hurt or anything. Anything. His stomach squirmed with the turmoil of his paranoid thoughts; Caitlin was sick, she needed him with her or else...

'I have this strange feeling that something's going to happen,' an unfamiliar female voice sounded. 'Do you have it too?'

'I...?' Joey turned several circles trying to work out where the voice was coming from. 'Who are you? Where are you?'

There was a strange flash of light in the corner of the room. He turned towards it to see the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life stood in the spot the flash had come from. In the distant part of his memory, the memories which belonged to Simüte, Joey felt as though he knew this woman somehow, but he couldn't think clearly enough to know who it was.

'You're so different, yet he looked just as bewildered as you the last time I came to him,' the woman took several steps towards him. 'Only, his confusion was for a different reason and this place doesn't clash with my own voices like that place did.'

'Who are you?' Joey studied her. 'Why are you here?'

'I came to you for the same reason I went to him. I've been watching you because you're special, just like he was special. And in the same way my sisters have been watching them again. Only this time I have this strange feeling you will be needed.'

'I don't...'

'The Nameless are restless, they think something's about to change and I can't help but feel that they're right.' She tilted her head to one side. 'You see there is this problem someone close to us has... created. Something tells me it's not entirely his mess, but even if it was you and the other two must be the ones to clean it up.'

'Why?'

'Because it is a mortal problem.'

'A mortal problem' Joey frowned.

'Yes, a mortal problem and one for which you and the others must be prepared to fix.'

'A please wouldn't go amiss you know.'

'Well, same bewildered look or not, you're most definitely not like him.' She folded her arms. 'Manners are a mortal concern, just like this problem is. Now, if you don't mind.'

With that she disappeared, leaving Joey feeling more than a little confused. He studied the spot she'd been standing in for a few long moments, trying to work out who she was. He knew Simüte had known, she'd confirmed that for him herself. But he just couldn't bring her name to mind. It was like something or someone was blocking him and he didn't know why.

A strange kind of headache set in and he found himself compelled to sit down. As soon as he had he was hit by this weird feeling of exhaustion.

'It's been a long day,' he tried to reassure himself, 'maybe when Cat gets back I should think about going home...' the word froze on his lips. 'Home? I can't just go home; I need to get back to my friends.'

* * *

Tristan allowed the feeling of dread to swirl around him for a while as he watched Octan. The guy had been stood over Duke for a while now. He didn't know what it was he was doing, he just had to hope it helped. Help. Because that was the right word to describe Octan's presence in the room. He was all kinds of insane _help_ for them; insane being the operative word.

'I hate him,' Tristan muttered under his breath as he gritted his teeth.

'Hate who?' Yugi placed a hand on his shoulder making him jump. 'Octan?'

'Yeah, him. And I'm pretty sure you'd hate him too if you knew what he's done.'

'That bad?'

'Put it this way, he makes that Marik creep look like a kitten.'

'Are you sure we should let him near Duke then?' Yugi flicked a worried glance in his direction.

'There's no one else who can help him.' Tristan sighed. 'If there was, believe me I would have found some way of getting them here by now.'

'You would have?' Yugi frowned at him.

'It would mostly have involved beating it out of Octan,' he tilted his head to one side, 'but I'm pretty sure I could have lived with that.'

'There's something different about you Tristan,' he felt Yugi's eyes studying him, 'I guess all the stuff you went through today has really changed you.'

'I don't think it's just all the stuff today,' Tristan gripped the material above his stomach, 'I think this has been a long time coming. Today's just magnified it all.'

'Magnified what exactly?'

'If I knew the answer I would tell you.' Tristan shook his head. 'Right now all I have are feelings and a strange kind of intuition, neither of which really accounts for much. Other than maybe the fact I'm super paranoid right now and having everyone and their mother's tell me I'm _different_ doesn't exactly help.'

'Sorry.'

'It's not your fault.' Tristan sighed again. 'I just wish things would stop feeling...' he hesitated.

'Stop feeling what?'

'Wrong.' He pushed the word out. 'I wish things would stop feeling so wrong.'

* * *

'There's something strange about all this,' it flexed its hand open and closed, 'it's not right somehow and yet... What am I? I used to know the answer to that question but now I'm not so sure.' It flicked a gaze up towards the mirror it found itself in front of. 'Do you know what I am?'

'Please, let me go.' The reflection's voice quivered. 'That's not your body, its mine. You shouldn't be there. You're not allowed.'

'Must you whine like that? You sound like an insane child.'

For some reason it found the notion funny; like a distant memory of someone or something important. Its reflection looked less than impressed. No, that was the wrong description. Its reflection looked frightened. That amused it somehow. It liked the idea of things being frightened of it.

'You have to let me out,' it's reflection pleaded, 'there's someone waiting for me.'

'No,' it shook its head, 'they're waiting for me now.'


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53**

'Hello Veronie, did you miss me?'

Catilin's voice sounded strange and dark somehow. It sent shivers running up and down Joey's spine. He turned towards her as she placed a bunch of stuff down on the table, then turned towards him.

'Someone was here whilst you were gone.'

'I know,' her eyes narrowed for a second, 'I can sense them. Do you know who it was?'

'They didn't leave a name.'

'Interesting,' she stretched the word. 'Well I can tell you they were powerful, so that narrows down the list. What did they want?'

'She wanted me to solve some kind of problem for her,' Joey found himself studying Catilin as she moved around the cabin. 'But she didn't tell me what the problem was or how to solve it... Are you feeling alright?'

'Never better.'

'Then why...?'

'Veronie, did she tell you anything more about this problem?'

'Um...' he blinked for a moment, 'just that it was a mortal problem and that two others would help me solve it. But again she wasn't big on the details.'

'A mortal problem?' Catilin sounded almost angry. 'She said it was a mortal problem?'

'Catilin...'

'Silence,' Catilin flicked her hand up towards him. 'I'll show her a mortal problem.'

'Catilin...'

'I thought I told you to be silent.'

'What's going on? Why are you being like this?'

'I don't know,' Catilin picked up something from the table, something which looked a lot like a knife, 'why are you refusing to do as you're told?'

'Catilin...'

'Catilin's not home right now,' she laughed.

'What?' Joey stared at her. 'Who are you?'

'That's a good question,' she slowly started to disappear, 'but for now I guess you can call me your _mortal_ problem.'

* * *

Tristan didn't know what was wrong with him; he'd never felt this way about anything before. The feeling of dread inside of him had turned into something else. Something so far beyond his understanding just trying to think about it left him with more of a headache than it was worth. He was right with what he'd told Yugi before, things felt wrong. Like someone had come along and changed the universe he knew into something unrecognisable. But that didn't make sense. Things were changing, they were different, but that difference wasn't necessarily a bad thing. So why did it all feel so wrong?

His eyes turned towards Octan. He was still hanging over Duke, staring down at him as though he were the most fascinating thing in the world. A part of Tristan spiked with the fearful thought that the less than sane ancient being might be taking advantage somehow. After all, there was no way any of them would know for sure what Octan was up to until Duke woke up. Fear turned into a wave of anger. How could he, knowing everything he knew about the guy, trust him with the mind of his friend?

'Boring a hole into me with your eyes isn't going to tell you anything Tristan,' Octan-Jay's voice was darkly amused. 'But it does tell me you lack patience. Do you really hate the waiting game that much?'

'I do now.' Tristan folded his arms. 'So how long do you expect this to take anyway?'

'I've done just about all I can do,' his gaze lifted toward him. 'Duke will awaken in his own time now. But now that I've said that I'm not so sure you were talking about Duke.'

Tristan was silent for a few moments. His hands clenched together so tightly they hurt, but the tension wouldn't leave his body long enough to release the grip.

'I think it's time for you to leave now.'

'Are you sure about that?' Octan-Jay cocked an eyebrow. 'Jay doesn't know how to deal with this. He doesn't even know what this is.'

'Does that really make him any less useful than you right now?' Tristan held firm.

'You're so tense, what exactly is it you're expecting?'

'I...'

'Tristan you look exhausted,' Yugi interrupted their conversation. 'I don't know what it is that's got you so wound up, but maybe a little sleep would help.'

'I can't sleep,' Tristan shook his head, 'not until this is over.'

'Until what is over?'

'I don't know,' he turned away from his friend, 'I just want this feeling to go away. Until it does I don't think I'll be able to get any sleep.'

'Tristan...'

'I'm fine Yugi... well no I'm not, but... I have to keep going. I have to make things right,' he began massaging his temples, 'and I'm not even sure I know what that means.'

'You've had a long day...'

'I know,' Tristan cut him off, 'but I can't sleep until it's over.'

As if he'd been waiting for this cue Joey appeared out of nowhere. His eyes turned over the occupants of the room for a few moments, before his gaze landed heavily on Octan.

'Joey you're back.' Yugi gave a half surprised laughed. 'But... where's Catilin?'

'That's what I'd like to know,' Joey focused his gaze on Octan. 'You're her keeper, right? The friend who looked after her whilst she was all alone on Sil.'

'That was me,' Octan-Jay smirked.

'I need you to tell me what's happening to her.'

'I'll tell you what happened to her,' Tristan gritted his teeth and glared and Octan, 'that monster abused his power and now we're the ones who are going to suffer for it.'

'What do you know about it Tristan?'

'I know enough. I know enough to know whatever's happening to her right now is _his_ fault.'

'I thought he was her friend,' Joey looked momentarily confused.

'No, Jay is her friend, Octan is a good for nothing waste of space who takes advantage of those around him for his own gains.'

'I know you don't like me Tristan, but that's not exactly a fair description.' Octan-Jay shook his head.

'You take over Jay's life and fail to do the one thing you promise, then you manipulate Catilin's mind creating a monster in the process; all because _you_ wanted to. I'd say my description was more than fair.'

'I told you, I did what I did out of love.'

'And so you're completely _justified_ right?'

'Tristan what's going on here?' Joey grabbed hold of his shoulders.

'Oh it's a long story and one I think I've no choice now but to tell.'

* * *

As soon as Kaiba had arrived back in Domino he'd headed straight for his office. He needed to catch up on everything he'd missed whilst competing in the Battle City tournament and minimise any damage to his reputation losing to Yugi once again might have caused. Mokuba had opted to stay with him rather than return to the Kaiba mansion alone. Whatever brainwashing trick Bakura had pulled on him had left his younger brother marginally disturbed. Kaiba wasn't totally sure how he felt about that, but he was glad Mokuba was staying where he could keep an eye on him.

As the evening started to turn into night, Mokuba had curled up on a chair on the fair side of Kaiba's office and drifted into a light sleep. Kaiba knew from experience his brother would happily sleep like this till morning if needs be. Not that he was planning to pull an all nighter, but the sense of power and control he gained from being in his office wasn't going to allow him to leave any time soon.

A sudden commotion in the corridor outside caused both brothers to start. A wave of annoyance and anger hit Kaiba as he rose to his feet in anticipation of some kind of trouble. Trouble no doubt attached to Yugi and his little friends.

'I'm telling you, you've got to let me pass,' an unfamiliar voice was yelling. 'I know it's late but I'm pretty damn certain Mr Kaiba will be very interested in what I have to say.'

There was a murmuring of voices making some kind of low volume protest.

'I understand it's late, but I've worked too hard and waiting too long to be turned away now.'

There was another low murmuring of voices.

'No this cannot wait until morning. Not for me. I have to see him and I have to see him now. Let me pass!'

There was a further murmur of protests right before the doors to Kaiba's office crashed open. The man stood on the other side was tall with a wild mop of shoulder length black hair. The wild look extended to the excitement of his clear blue eyes and was accentuated by his richly tanned skin. The long shorts and t-shirt was in-keeping with the rest of his appearance, but the white lab coat he was wearing filled Kaiba with momentary curiosity. This man might have been a complete loony, but the juxtaposition of his lab coat had earned him five minutes of Kaiba's time.

'Who the hell are you and what right do you have to come barging in here like that?' Kaiba kept an air of assertive calm about him. 'Do you have any idea how late it is?'

'Do you?' The stranger licked his lips. 'You're nothing and everything like I expected; young, brilliant and a workaholic.'

'Spare me the analysis.'

'I tried your home first; they told me you were here.' The stranger held Kaiba's gaze. 'I apologise if I'm keeping you from your work but I'd sooner that then keep a growing boy from his sleep.'

'Well I was sleeping until you came crashing in.' Mokuba glared at him.

'I apologise, but I really need to speak to your brother.'

'My brother is a very busy man,' Mokuba folded his arms, 'what makes you think he'll have time to listen to you?'

'Because what I have to say is important.'

'Oh really?' Kaiba cocked an eyebrow. 'And what makes you think that?'

'Well if you must know there are two reasons this is important to me, but maybe only one of those reasons will make it important to you as well.' The stranger licked his lips again. 'The first is professional, the second is personal.'

'And just which reason do you expect me to be interested in?'

'Agree to hear what I have to say and you'll find out.'

Kaiba found himself studying the guy again; there was something about his confidence which impressed him. The guy's five minutes had increased to ten, but whether or not he would get to use all of them was yet to be seen.

'Okay,' Kaiba sat back down, 'you have five minutes, but if I feel you're wasting my time...'

'Trust me; this won't be a waste of your time.'

'Prove it.'

'I'll start with the professional bit then,' his tongue again glanced over his lips, 'not because it's more important but it is the reason which brought me here. You see, you're not the only young, brilliant man here Mr Kaiba. I too excelled in my chosen field at a young age and I now stand before you with the end result of my life's work. I only finished putting the last pieces of the puzzle together a few months ago and as soon as I did I flew all the way here from Egypt to track you all down.'

'If this has anything to do with Egyptian fairytale mumbo jumbo then you're five minutes are up.' Kaiba rolled his eyes. 'I'm afraid I'm not the gullible type, but I can put you in touch with a bunch of dweebs who would have the time for you.'

'Fairytale mumbo jumbo?' The stranger shook his head in confusion. 'I'm talking about hard facts Mr Kaiba. About DNA and archaeology. I'm a scientist not a storyteller. My life's work is to actualise my thesis on whether or not it's possible to trace a family line from the time of the Pharaohs to the modern day. And trust me when I tell you this thesis has serious scientific merit.'

'Go on,' Kaiba didn't know what it was about this guy, but there was something compelling about his passion.

'It all started soon after I completed my thesis, whilst I was waiting for my research grant to come through. An archaeologist friend of mine had put me onto this fascinating case.' The stranger licked his lips. 'To begin with it all appeared straight forward enough, a Pharaoh and his two cousins. But when you scratched beneath the surface a little some rather... odd facts came to light. Facts which indicated the Pharaoh and the elder of his two cousins were half brothers. Of course that was just speculation on my part until my grant came through and I was able to test my theory out. DNA is a wonderful thing when you can find it.'

'I'm still not sure what part of this I'm supposed to find interesting.'

'I'm getting there, but you need to know where I'm coming from in order to understand the importance of all this. At least I hope so.'

'Then you might want to explain faster, your five minutes are almost up.'

'Okay, well,' he licked his lips again, 'the Pharaoh and his half brother made up two thirds of a triad known as the Brotherhood of Brothers. The third was the brother-in-law of the half brother. Apparently they were a force to be reckoned with and one matched only by the sisterhood formed by their daughters. Daughters born within hours of each other on the same day. Their names were Lilly, Annu and Talma and it's their lines I've traced to their modern day descendents. And that's where you come into all this Mr Kaiba. You are the modern day descendent of Talma, the half brother's daughter.'

'And you expect me to buy this because?'

'I don't expect anything Mr Kaiba,' the stranger licked his lips for what felt like the millionth time, 'in fact from your reputation alone I knew you would be unlikely to believe me straight out like this. That why I brought proof.' The man dug around in his coat pocket for a few moments, before pulling out a floppy disk. 'Here's all the information I've gathered, all the tests I preformed, all the facts checked and rechecked. I'd hate to second guess a man I barely know, but I'm hoping that disk contains all the proof you could possibly want. I have several copies, so feel free to hold onto the disk until you've verified it.' He tossed it down onto Kaiba's desk.

'And if I verify this is little more than nonsense, will you leave me alone?'

'Of course, but I don't think that you will.'

'We'll see.'

Kaiba slipped the disk into his computer and began looking through all the information. Even as a child genius he couldn't say he understood it all; after all his field of expertise was the technological. What he did understand was enough to earn the stranger another ten minutes of his time.

'I'll have to have this information verified you understand,' Kaiba clasped his hands together.

'Of course, but from what you've seen so far...?'

'Your research is... intriguing, but I hardly see its importance. I really don't think it warranted you bursting into my office and demanding my time.'

'Then allow me to explain the personal side of this,' once again the stranger's tongue skated across his lips. 'You and I have a lot in common Mr Kaiba; I too was orphaned at a very young age. Fortunately for me my mother's side of my family were... more generous with their help than yours. Although sometimes I really wish they weren't. My grandparents were prone to acts of selfishness. So much so I lost contact with my father's side of the family completely.'

'At what point is this supposed to interest me?'

'I'm getting there,' he licked his lips again, 'you see about seven years after my own parents died, I was told cousins of mine on my father's side were also orphaned. I'd only met the one cousin before my parents died and he was about two or three the last time I saw him. I was studying genealogy in one of my accelerated learning classes at the time I was told of my uncle's death and it got me thinking about what turns people from being relatives into a family. I was almost fifteen and back then I promised myself one day I would track down my cousins and give them back a sense of family. Unfortunately for a fifteen year old desperate to get out of the clutches of controlling grandparents other things take president and finding my cousins got put onto the backburner.' He paused for a moment to take a deep breath. 'But just because I lessoned its importance doesn't mean I ever forgot about it. And when I started my research into the three cousins I can very much tell you I had meeting my own in mind. Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part, but... well a part of me hoped it would give me an excuse to trace those long forgotten cousins of my own.'

'Just where is this going?' Kaiba frowned.

'The line from Talma to you wasn't easy to trace,' he licked his lips, 'not like the lines from Lilly and Annu. Then, just on a whim really, I tried to see if I could trace Talma's line down to myself. I didn't really hold out much hope but...'

'You found a connection?'

'It was like the pieces all suddenly fell into place. But I wasn't the connection, you and your brother were. And at that moment I knew I had to find you.'

'What exactly are you trying to say?' Kaiba narrowed his gaze.

'Of the three descendents of the Brotherhood I want to track down, I came to you first for a reason.' The stranger's tongue skated across his lips several times as he once again held Kaiba's gaze. 'You see you and your brother Seto Kaiba are my long lost cousins.'


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54**

Yugi watched the stare off between Tristan and Octan with tense anticipation. Eventually one of them would have to give, but it was impossible to say which one. Beside him he could sense Joey's growing impatience. If one of them didn't break the silence soon, then Joey would probably storm through it like some kind of wild bull.

'You don't have the guts to tell them,' Octan gritted his teeth, 'if you did you would have by now.'

'You're wrong; I'm just waiting for you to turn back into Jay so I can start.'

'You really think I'm going to let you tell him?'

'I'm not giving you a choice.'

'Tristan just tell us what's going on already,' Joey balled his hands up into fists. 'If this has something to do with Cat...'

'It has everything to do with Catilin,' Tristan continued to hold Octan's gaze, 'doesn't it Octan?'

'Tristan...'

'Turn back into Jay Octan, so I can tell him what you did.'

'Tristan, stop making unreasonable demands and tell me what you know about Cat,' Joey grabbed hold of him. 'Right now all you're doing is wasting time. Time which could be better spent helping Cat.'

'Don't get angry at me, get angry at him,' Tristan gritted his teeth and jerked a finger towards Octan. 'He used and manipulated Catilin and if I have to be in his presence for a second longer I swear I won't be held responsible for my actions.'

'And here was me thinking you didn't like Catilin all that much,' Octan smirked and folded his arms.

'You know as well as I do it's not the who, it's the what.' Tristan glared. 'My reaction would be the same no matter who you'd done this too.'

'I'm sure that's not true,' he laughed, 'I'm sure there are a few people in the world you'd be more or less outraged over.'

'Shut up and turn back into Jay already.'

'If I refuse will that stop you from telling everyone else what I did?' Octan cocked an eyebrow.

'No.'

Tristan pushed Joey out of the way and stalked towards Octan. He then grabbed Octan by the collar and glared menacingly into his eyes.

'If you're going to tell them anyway, why should I bother turning into Jay?' Octan remained calm.

'You really don't seem to get who has the power in all this.' Tristan shoved Octan back against the wall. 'I know what you've done and I know enough about you and Jay to know he may eventually forgive you for what you did. But that forgiveness might take a little longer if I tell him how you really feel.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Continue to push me and you'll find out.'

* * *

For a few long moments Mokuba just stared at the guy trying to work out if this was for real or not. He knew his brother would be filled with suspicion and disbelief, but a part of Mokuba couldn't help but feel excited at the notion of a long lost cousin. After all, he was too young to remember all that much about his birth family and what he did remember was tainted by their betrayal. Somehow that took some of the shine off of his momentary excitement.

'So how are we related exactly?' Mokuba tried to sound calmer than he felt.

'My dad and your dad were brothers,' the guy licked his lips. 'Mine was older than yours by about five years and a few years after yours was born their mother died. Their father raised them and they had a mostly happy childhood. I remember my Dad telling me him and his brother were like best friends. They always had each other's backs and they remained close even after my Dad got married.' His eyes glazed over and for a moment he appeared to pause in thought. 'Anyway shortly before I was born their father fell really ill and died. Dad and my uncle were devastated, but the tragedy just brought them closer together. My Dad was your Dad's best man and the two would have done anything for each other. They saw each other all the time and it was a pretty happy time. It wasn't until my aunt was pregnant for the first time that I was told about this weird little packed they had,' the guy averted his gaze for a moment. 'A pact which concerns you, Mr Kaiba,' the guy's eyes locked with Mokuba's brother. 'I can still remember thinking… well I don't want to spoil the end of my story just yet.' He laughed nervously, before licking his lips again.

'So if our parents were so close, how come you went to live with your grandparents and not with us?' Mokuba frowned at him.

'My mother had them down as her next of kin. She'd meant to change it so my aunt and uncle would have me; I mean I know they discussed it all the time, but... Well I don't think anyone expected them to die like that. I can remember being taken out of class by the headmaster to be told what happened. Without hesitation I remember asking if I was going to be taken to my aunt and uncle's now, to live with them. The head looked at me as though I were barking mad and told me my grandparents were already on their way. I cried when he told me that.'

'Why?'

'Well I didn't really have much to do with my Mum's side of the family; they lived a long way away. I'd maybe seen them once or twice throughout my whole life up until that point. When the head said I was going to be living with my grandparents I thought he meant the dead ones. I guess it doesn't really matter how smart you are, if you're in shock the illogical always comes to you first.'

'Humph,' Kaiba half turned his head away and Mokuba couldn't help but wonder if his brother had been affected by their parents' deaths in a similar way.

'The next few weeks was filled with lots of rows between my grandparents and your parents. Nobody asked me what I wanted and that hurt a lot. Eventually my grandparents just took me away and that was the last I saw of my aunt and uncle. But it's not the last I heard about you, obviously. I mean, a really long and detailed letter arrived to tell me about Mokuba's birth and my aunt's death from your father. Then another came a few years later about my uncle. It was just a few hurried lines written by a solicitor at your father's request. No details. No warmth. Just that he was dead. I still have both the letters you know, I keep them with me as a reminder of the family I lost. Maybe that's a little hard for you to understand, but...'

'No, I understand,' Mokuba gripped the duel monsters card shaped locket around his neck. 'So... what's the end of your story?'

'Huh? The guy licked his lips again.

'You were about to say something before about a packed between your Dad and ours, but you said you didn't want to spoil the end of your story.'

'Oh right, well like I said before our dads were close, not only to each other but also to their own father. When he died they both wanted to honour him in the same way. And maybe the way they chose is a little weird and I'm sure if they weren't such good friends it might have caused a problem. But... well they both wanted to name their first born sons after their father and... they both did. You see,' a slight smirk appeared on his face, 'my name is also Seto. I am Dr Seto Khoral.'

* * *

'Ah, Tristan,' Octan's eyes filled with sudden confusion, 'what are you doing?'

'Jay,' Tristan let go of him and backed away, 'sorry, I just didn't know how else to get Octan to switch with you.'

'Look, I know the guy can be a little... abrasive sometimes, but...'

'Look, I'll explain everything now.'

'Could you start with the part which involves Octan becoming Jay?' Téa cocked an eyebrow.

'Octan and I share a body,' Jay smiled at her. 'I don't know what he looked like before he became a part of me, but this is what he looks like now, which is how I looked when I was alive.'

'Alive?'

'Did you not cover the part where I was also dead?' Jay shot Tristan a look.

'It didn't come up,' Tristan shrugged, 'and since nobody had any problems talking to Octan...'

'Yeah, but Octan did that whole dying without dying thing,' Yugi frowned. 'Least that's what I read. So I guess everyone figured...'

'Nope, the body is mine,' Jay grinned. 'The death was too. Although since Octan was bound to the Mistresses still I kinda... Well I might as well have suffered his fate.'

'You're about to suffer a whole lot more than that,' Tristan turned away from him.

'What do you mean?'

'I have to tell you what Octan did; it's the only way any of you are going to make sense of what's going on with Catilin right now.'

'Tristan, why do I get the feeling I should be asking two questions at once here?' Jay stared at him. 'What did Octan do and what's going on with Cat?'

'He manipulated her into killing your father.'

'He what?'

'He manipulated her into killing your father,' Tristan gritted his teeth as the shock of his words set in with the others. 'That's the real reason you were supposed to keep her on Sil. He used her mental instability to create a monster and now that monster is loose. It's loose and we have to work out a way of controlling it until the Mistresses can stop it.'

'I don't think the Mistresses plan on stopping it,' Joey's voice sounded dry. 'I think... it's a... it's a mortal problem, they... they're leaving it up to us.'

* * *

Mokuba's jaw had very nearly hit the floor when the stranger told them his name. Kaiba on the other hand remained unnerved. He'd always tried his best not to think too much about his family, but there were certain facts and details he kept locked away inside his mind just in case he ever needed them again. This was one of those pieces. But just because he knew about his cousin, didn't mean the man standing in front of them was him.

'So you're telling me your name is Seto Khoral?' Kaiba narrowed his gaze on him for a moment.

'Most people just call me SK, but yeah I am Dr Seto Khoral.' SK licked his lips. 'I know you would have been little more than a toddler when we last met, but do you remember anything about me at all?'

'I don't remember you, but my father did mention something about a cousin with the same name as me. In my childhood naivety I used to imagine how strange it would be to meet this cousin of mine. Then my father died and my mother's relatives bled us dry and dumped us off so I quickly lost interest in meeting any relative of mine again after that.'

'I guess it must have been hard for you,' SK's tongue skated across his lips again.

'I grew up fast and made sure my brother and I had the best possible life we could, with no help from anyone else, especially not a family I couldn't trust.'

'But... I mean... I was still a child when... I wasn't even around... I...'

'Save the begging me for forgiveness part of this little act of yours,' Kaiba met and held his gaze, 'I'm not even totally convinced you're telling the truth about who you are yet, never mind anything else.'

'I'm not…' SK's tongue made a nervous path across his lips, 'I'm not lying I swear. Why would I do that?'

'How should I know, maybe there's something you're after.'

'What could I possibly want off you?'

'In case you haven't noticed Dr Khoral, I'm a very wealthy man and…'

'Oh to hell with money!' SK cut him off. 'I can get a research grant like that,' he snapped his fingers, 'I don't need money from you and I'm insulted you would think so.'

'Fame then, maybe you want a share in the reflected glory of the Kaiba name.'

'To hell with that too, I'm happy being a Khoral. It was the name I was raised with and the one I shall take to the grave with me. Fame is overrated anyway; so long as I'm respected in the academic circles I don't need anything else. And in case you're wondering _Mr Kaiba_ I'm already very respected.'

'How do I know you're not lying?'

'Are you trying to tell me that everything I have worked so hard for, all the research I've shown you and you've agreed is worth merit, is just to piece together some goddamn elaborate lie to get my hands on something I don't even care about?' SK slammed his fists down onto Kaiba's desk. 'Are you really that egotistical? I came here for two reasons and two reasons only; to gather together the direct descendents of the Brotherhood of Brothers and to finally fulfil my promise to reunite myself with my own lost family. If you don't believe me on the second point then at least co-operate with me on the first.'

Kaiba and SK's eyes locked together. There was still something intriguing about the guy. His passion, his determination, his self-motivated attitude, it all reminded Kaiba a lot of himself. Not that he would be willing to admit it to anyone; not at this point at any rate. After all, this guy could still be nothing more than a brilliant actor. Until Kaiba had verified both his identity and his motives he wasn't going to trust the guy.

'I believe you SK.' Mokuba broke into Kaiba's thoughts. 'I believe you really are my cousin.'

'Mokuba,' Kaiba couldn't help but feel annoyed at his brother's trusting nature.

'I know you don't trust him Seto, but I do,' Mokuba shot an almost pleading look at him. 'I believe SK really is our cousin. There's something in his face... I know it sounds crazy, but he looks a lot like you.'

'It doesn't sound crazy at all.' SK appeared to sigh in relief. 'I've always been told I took after my father's side of the family for looks so it's only natural there would be a resemblance between us.'

'And there really is.'

'You might have fooled my brother, but I'm still not convinced,' Kaiba folded his arms. 'Not by the cousin side of your story anyway. I will for now agree to go along with your research. It will take a few hours for my people to verify it and once they have...'

'Once they have I hope I'll have gathered your peers together.' SK licked his lips again. 'I know I'm getting ahead of myself here, but when I get excited about something I just have to keep going until I'm done. So I'd like to gather the others together tonight if possible.'

'Whatever. Who are these others anyway?'

'Locals, so you might know them,' SK's face filled with a nervous smile, 'Joey and Serenity Wheeler and Yugi Motou.'

* * *

Jay was having a hard time processing the information he'd been given. The idea Octan had manipulated Catilin was almost too horrifying to believe, but at the same time lots of little things started falling into place. Things which told Jay without a doubt Tristan was telling the truth. It hurt. It was like someone had shoved their hand through his chest and ripped his unbeating heart out of him. How... how could Octan do this? How could he hurt him so much?

'At least I know now why you've been trying so hard to get away from me,' he mentally shot at his other half.

'Your father needed to be punished. He got what he deserved. I was justified.'

'And what about Cat? Did she deserve you taking advantage of her like that? You abused your power over her. You abused her trust and mine. Are you trying to tell me that was justified?'

'Yes.'

'I don't believe this. I don't believe you,' Jay clutched his hands to the sides of his head.

'She was insane anyway; I don't see what the problem is.'

'You don't see what the problem is? You don't see what the problem is?' A burst of anger shot through Jay. 'Let's just ignore for a second the fact you abused an innocent girl here and focus on the fact that you created a monster in the process. Now tell me you don't see what the problem is.'

'Jay...'

'I don't want to hear it Octan. I don't want to hear anything from you right now. You have no idea how much you've hurt me.'

'I do. I... I can feel...'

'Then I hope what you feel from me racks you with guilt.' Jay gritted his teeth. 'I hate you so much right now. You took the one good thing about my afterlife... the one thing I which made me happy and you ruined it. I shared my life with you. I share my death with you. I should never have shared her with you. She was mine. And now... now you've ruined her.'

'Jay...'

'I told you I don't want you to speak to me right now. I just want you to shut up and feel every inch of pain you've caused me. I want you to feel more guilt than you ever thought possible. I want you to know I will never forgive you for this.'

'We both know that's not true.'

'Do we?'

'Jay...'

'Why did you do it? Tell me why you did this.'

'I did it because your father hurt you, killed you, he needed to be punished. I was justified.'

'But why her?' Jay felt his eyes sting with tears. 'You could have used anybody, why did it have to be her?'

'Because she was there and I didn't think you would get so attached.'

'And that makes it alright, does it?'

'You shouldn't have allowed yourself to get so close to the living Jay, you're dead.'

'So are you, but that didn't stop you from getting pretty attached to me.'

'That was different.'

'Was it? Or are you just trying to alleviate your own guilt somehow.'

'I was justified Jay.'

'Yeah well I hate you Octan,' Jay levelled his mental voice enough to deaden the impact of his words, 'and I'm feeling pretty justified about that.'


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55**

The anger which coursed through it was wild and irrational. It wasn't totally sure where it was coming from, but it did know where it was aiming at. The thought... the very notion that _they_ could think of it as a _mortal problem_ wound it up no end. It was not a mortal problem. It was anything but a mortal problem and soon... soon they would find out first hand just how wrong they were.

'Stop this; I won't let you hurt anyone,' its reflection whined for attention.

'I haven't even begun yet,' it smiled back, 'and you have no way of stopping me. Don't you get it little girl, I'm stronger than you are.'

'I don't care. I won't let you hurt anyone.'

'And just how are you planning on stopping me?'

'I'll take my body back.'

'You don't have the strength.'

'I don't care. I'll keep fighting till I win. I won't let some nothing invader steal my body from me.'

'Nothing invader,' anger spiked through it again, 'you're the one who's the nothing invader. This body was mine from the start.'

'No, you're lying.'

'Are you sure about that?'

'Of course I'm sure.'

'You're just an insane little girl, how can you be sure of anything?' It glared at its reflection. 'You don't even remember your own childhood, but I do. I was watching... all that time watching... not really aware, but not totally unaware all the same time. Watching. Waiting. Learning.'

'L-learning about me?'

'No, learning about what I am. I don't remember it all yet, but I'm close. I'm so close I can almost taste it and then...'

'I won't let you hurt anyone.'

'The way I see it you don't have a choice,' it chuckled, 'now shut up and enjoy the ride.'

* * *

Serenity wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep for. All she knew is by the time she half started to rouse her brother had returned and there were lots of angry voices going on around her. Most of the anger had come from Tristan and the occasional venom of his attitude had been enough to completely change her opinion of him. He wasn't the too nice boy next door who would bend over backwards for anyone she thought he was. He had a spine and a definite bite to him which was more than justified considering what he'd been through during the course of the day. Serenity found herself a little bit afraid of him, but she was more afraid of the truth he revealed about Octan. A truth which kept her eyes shut at all cost.

When the conversation eventually dimmed into a discussion between Tristan, Joey and Yugi about what needed to be done next, Serenity half opened her eyes to see what was going on. Octan was in her direct view, making her heart leap with so much fear she almost closed her eyes again. Then she noticed the way he was pulling at his hair and rocking back and forth like a frightened little boy and her opinion soften slightly. She remembered Tristan saying something about him being Jay now and her curiosity and compassion rose. Opening her eyes, she yawned, stretched and got to her feet.

'Serenity you should go back to sleep,' Joey turned his attention towards her for a moment, 'there's not a lot any of us can do right now.'

'I know,' she tried not to allow her gaze to shift towards Jay, 'but I am kind of wondering why the hospital staff have allowed us to hang around so late.'

'It's not...' he checked his watch, 'wow it's later than I thought. I guess they'll be getting ready to kick us out soon.'

'I get this feeling they'll let us stay till morning.' Tristan massaged his temples. 'Don't ask how, I just get this feeling about it.'

'You've been getting a lot of feelings today,' Yugi shot him a curious glance. 'Are you sure you don't want to get some rest?'

'I told you I can't sleep until this is resolved.'

'I'm not sure I can even think straight right now,' Joey ran his fingers back through his hair, 'maybe we should all get some sleep.'

'I'm guessing Joey's idea of _all _will include you Jay,' Tristan shot a glance in his direction, then sighed. 'I shouldn't have let my temper get the best of me.'

'Let me guess, you're thinking that because he's a little bit messed up right now?' Joey rolled his eyes. 'Why didn't you just let Octan stick around, at least then I could have beaten some answers out of him.'

'I... I'm not sure I can really explain it.' Tristan gripped the material over his stomach. 'I just got so worked up and angry I couldn't think straight anymore. The only thing which made sense to me was the fact Octan had done wrong and he needed to be punished. Beyond that... I just don't know anymore. My head's filled with all these irrational thoughts and I'm not even sure half of them are really mine.'

'What do you mean?'

'Honestly, I don't know.' Tristan sighed again.

'Maybe you should get some sleep,' Serenity half smiled at him, 'you look exhausted.'

'I don't think I can,' he stared at a random spot on the floor, 'right now, I don't think I can sleep, no matter how much I might want to.'

'Tristan...'

'Someone should try to get through to Jay. Maybe he knows what that woman Joey saw was talking about.'

'I can do it if you like.' Serenity found herself volunteering.

'I don't know,' Joey folded his arms, 'can this guy really be trusted?'

'I wouldn't trust Octan as far as I could throw him, but Jay's a good kid. He had no idea what his other half was up to and I think his shock over the matter is understandable.' Tristan ran his fingers back through his hair. 'Octan really betrayed him. It would be like the Pharaoh betraying Yugi or something. I don't think any of us can really imagine how much that must hurt.'

'Then maybe I should be the one to talk to him,' Yugi half smiled. 'I mean, I'm probably the only one who can even come close to understanding...'

'But I want to do it.' Serenity shook her head. 'I know I don't really understand what's going on here but... I think he just needs someone to reach out to him. I'd like to be the one to do that. Besides you three are all exhausted, I've at least had some sleep. So why don't you take Téa's lead and get some shut eye before dawn decides to show its ugly head; leave Jay to me.'

* * *

The hand on his shoulder felt like a strange kind of comfort. It was enough for him to focus his gaze on the person stood right in front of him, rather than the one living in the back of his mind. The pretty little brunette had a strange smile on her face and a concerned look in her eyes. There had only ever been one other girl he knew who could smile like that and for a few moments he half thought he was looking at Taylorna, but that was just wishful thinking. In truth this girl looked very little his old girlfriend and the thought in and of itself was a sad one.

'You are Jay, right?' The girl's voice was light and slightly lilted.

'Right, I guess this must be a little confusing for you,' he attempted to smile, 'to go from Octan to me like this, must make you think I'm crazy or something.'

'It's a little strange, but I think I understand what's happening. My name's Serenity.'

'Pretty, but then so are you.'

'Thanks,' she blushed and half turned away from him. 'So do you understand what's going on or...?'

'Octan stopped me from being able to see what was going on whilst he was talking to Tristan. I remember the swap out, then I was just hanging out in the usual dark limbo I'm in when Octan doesn't want me to know something. Next thing I know I'm being hurtled out of there and pinned up against a wall by Tristan.'

'So you really had no idea what Octan was up to?'

'None. What Tristan told me came as a huge shock.' Jay turned his head away from her. 'I'm not totally sure I want to believe it, but I don't think I have a choice.'

His eyes turned around the room for a moment. Most of the other occupants were either sleeping or staring vacantly into space. Tristan fell into the latter category. He looked pensive and spaced out at the same time; not that Jay could really blame him. Since the moment they'd met Jay had sensed there was more to him than just being a Nethher unfortunate enough to have been temporarily turned into an ammovate. But what that _more_ was Jay didn't even know if Tristan knew yet. Still it was going to be pretty interesting to find out.

'So who is everybody?' Jay focused his gaze back on her. 'I mean, Octan got all the introductions earlier, I didn't.'

'Well the two girls sleeping on the chairs are Mai and Téa. The guy in the bed is Duke. The red head's Yugi and the blond's my brother Joey.'

'The Lutoni... but he's supposed to be with Cat.' Jay hesitated at his own words even as they came out of his mouth. 'I guess he was with her until... I can't believe Octan really did...'

'You care a lot about Catilin, don't you?' Serenity frowned for a moment.

'Yeah, I do. I know I shouldn't but I can't help it. She's like this... this infectious ball of joy. And yeah I know she's a little... unstable at times, but... I just wanna take care of her.'

'Do you like taking care of people?'

'It's what I've spent my whole life doing,' an almost sad little smile pulled at his lips. 'A brother should always take care of his sister no matter what the cost. I mean, I know Cat's not my sister, but... I would protect her in the same way I protected Roxanna in a heartbeat.'

'So Catilin's like a little sister to you?'

'No, she's more than that,' the words were out of Jay's mouth before he could stop them, 'but... but I... I mean...' he gave a nervous cough. 'I'm... I'm dead so... the only thing she can be to me is a sister.'

Serenity placed a hand on his arm and shot him a sympathetic smile. Again the smile itself reminded him a lot of Taylorna, but it was still just the smile. The girl herself was too timid and quiet to be anything like his old girlfriend. The fact they shared the same smile was just a coincidence; a comfort Jay's mind needed because his whole world was falling apart.

'We'll find a way to help Catilin, I promise.'

'I know we will, it's just...' Jay gave a heavy sigh. 'I know Octan and I don't always get on. That we've had more than our fair share of fights and whatever since my death, but... I trusted him completely. I didn't see any reason not to. He was like a big brother to me,' he wrapped his arms around himself, 'but now...'

'I guess this must be really hard for you.'

'Hard... I don't even know if hard even touches what this is for me. How could he do this?'

'He did it for the same reason I flipped out and told you,' Tristan got up from his seat and lumbered towards them, 'sometimes things eat away at you so much all sense of rational thought just flies out of your head. Okay, I don't like or trust the guy one little bit, but... I think he does genuinely care about you. You know, in his own sick and twisted little way.'

'I wish that was more comforting.'

'Funny, I kind of wish it was less,' Tristan half turned away from him. 'Look, I know you're probably going to forgive Octan for what he did eventually, but I personally hope eventually takes a long time. I might not be feeling as irrational about it as I was before, but... what he did still really gets to me. I can't just forget about it and I don't want you to either. In fact... I think you should insist on always being in control... at least for a little while. At least until he earns your trust back. And I definitely don't think you should let him keep you in the dark about anything anymore.'

'Oh don't worry; if he ever sees the other side of my body again it'll be too soon. Because that's the thing,' Jay gritted his teeth, 'it is _my_ body. Dead or not it's _my_ body and _my_ face he used to do these things. That's what makes it even worse, if that's even possible at this point. He didn't just hurt Cat; he used me in order to do it. If I could hit him I would.'

'You're allowed to be angry about this Jay,' Tristan's gaze flicked towards him, 'I know I had no right to... ruin your world like this. I know I should have just kept out of it. But...'

'It made you angry and anger isn't logical.' Jay wiped the half formed tears away from his eyes. 'That was the first thing Octan said to me when I died. But the funny thing is, this is the first time I've ever allowed myself to be angry. I don't like the feeling and I think I know now why I used to push it away. I don't want to be angry, but I have to be, don't I?'

'You don't have to be anything,' Serenity shook her head. 'If you don't want to be angry about this then don't.'

'But that would mean forgiving Octan. And maybe I don't want to be angry, but I don't want to forgive him either. So I'm stuck, aren't I?' Jay's hyena-like laughter burst almost hysterically out of him. 'I can't forgive so I have to be angry.'


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56**

All of his plans had been put on hold the second he'd mentioned the names of the others the night before. His elder cousin had instantly gone off on one, accusing SK of all kinds of things half of which he wasn't sure he understood. Mokuba had saved him from his confusion by explaining what those names meant to the brothers and although SK felt Kaiba's reaction had been more than a little excessive, it did bring home the fact that Kaiba was still very much a teenager. It didn't matter how intelligent or together he was, he was still driven by teenage impulsive and irrational emotions. He could act mature. He could walk, talk and calculate like a business man, but he was still a teenager driven by excesses he didn't even realise were there.

It reminded SK of himself at that age. The single minded obsession. The compulsive need to be right and the best all the time because all those forces inside of you, you couldn't control wouldn't let you be anything less. It's why he'd earned his doctorate by the time he was twenty and why his cousin was the sixteen year old head of the Kaiba Corporation. Their kind of intelligence combined with teenage hormones was a powerful combination and the price was a little bit of irrational logic.

Knowing what he was faced with, SK allowed Mokuba to talk him into waiting until morning to find the others. It was much later than he'd thought anyway, but even so he still wasn't tired. He'd spent what night was left lying in the bed the Kaibas had provided for him staring up at the ceiling. His mind refused to switch off. He knew he'd had a long day, but he wasn't even remotely tired. In fact, he couldn't even remember the last time he had felt tired. The thought bugged him a little bit, but he pushed it away. Who cares when the last time he felt tired was, what did it matter anyway? It wasn't as though he needed sleep. Again the thought bugged him; of course he needed sleep, why wouldn't he need sleep?

He got out of bed with the dawn chasing away nagging thoughts about sleep and tiredness. He washed and dressed and made his way down through the house in search of the kitchen. He wasn't hungry; he just figured this would be where the Kaiba brothers would eventually come once they'd woken up. The house was quiet apart from a few pottering servant; most of them ignored SK's presence but a couple asked if there was anything he needed. There wasn't. Despite his vast intelligence, SK was a pretty simple guy. He'd never needed much and recently he'd needed even less. The only thing which mattered to him was his research. Food, sleep, human interaction, all these things had lost meaning for him. He didn't know when it had happened, but it had.

Something pulled at his stomach as he sat down at the table in the Kaibas' kitchen. It was only recently things had lost importance for him. It didn't feel right somehow. Didn't feel like him. His mind began turning over several thoughts he'd previously deemed unimportant. Where had all his friends been the last few months? Why hadn't he been feeling tired when he was barely sleeping or eating? And how had he made it to Domino City in the first place? He couldn't remember the journey at all, but then he'd been so focused on getting here nothing else really seemed to matter.

The door to the kitchen open and Mokuba entered. Relieved by the distraction, SK allowed his confusing thoughts to melt away. Within seconds they were gone and his focus was Mokuba.

'When I said you both might know them, I didn't think you actually did,' SK averted his gaze. 'I know I said all this last night, but I just want to drive my point home a little. Seto is the same age as Joey and Yugi; I figured they might have been in school together. But that was me assuming Seto still went to school. If I'm being totally honest with you, I had no idea Duel Monsters was such a big deal anyway. Not a big enough deal for Seto to have dedicated a large amount of his time not to mention his company's resources to it. I...'

'SK its okay, you didn't know, you don't need to convince me about anything.' Mokuba shook his head. 'Seto on the other hand...'

'What about me,' Kaiba appeared in the doorway behind Mokuba.

'I was just apologising again for last night,' SK licked his lips, 'if I'd had any idea what those people meant to you and your brother I would never have...'

'Save it for someone who cares.'

'So I'm... I'm guessing you won't be joining me in finding the others then. I mean, I more than understand your position on this one but... You see I was hoping that once I have a chance to talk to them... Well I'd still like for all of the descendents to be gathered in one place, it...'

'I'm a very busy man Dr Khoral and I'm still not totally convinced by your research or by you. I see no reason why I should waste my time with your so called project.'

'I understand your feelings about all this,' SK licked his lips again, 'but it would mean a lot to me if you would just meet with us all for a few minutes this afternoon. Half an hour tops, I promise. Just enough time for me to take some photos for my files, that's all I'm asking.'

'It's all you're asking of me right now Dr Khoral, how do I know you won't want more from me after this?'

'We're alike, you and I, when we set out minds to something we don't stop till we get it, because it's the only thing we want. The only thing which will make us happy,' SK licked his lips again. 'My research doesn't end with this project; this is simply my way in. My way of getting notoriety and further research grants. But right now the only thing I want is for all the descendents to meet with me this afternoon so I can put the first stage behind me and move on. After that the only thing I want from you and your brother is the chance to get to know you. A chance to give you back some sense of family. That's all.'

For a few long moments Kaiba was silence. Then he folded his arms and half turned away from him.

'I won't promise anything Dr Khoral, but I will try to spare you half an hour if I can.'

'Thank you Seto,' SK found himself almost laughing with relief, 'you have no idea how much this means to me. And please call me SK.'

'Whatever.' Kaiba shrugged as he left the room.

SK's tongue skated across his lips as he let out the breath he'd been holding. His gaze then turned towards Mokuba who was looking more than a little relieved himself. For a few moments the two of them were silent.

'I can come with you when you go to meet the others, right?' Mokuba shot him a look. 'I know Seto's not keen on the idea, but... well I get on with them and... Well, you are my cousin, right?'

'Right,' SK smiled, 'I'd like that. I mean, its part of the reason I'm here.'

'Seto will come round you know, he's just not big on the whole trusting thing.'

'It's okay Mokuba, I understand.' SK licked his lips again. 'You're brother is everything and nothing like I expected.'

'What about me?'

'Huh?'

'Am I like you expected?'

'I don't know,' SK felt almost embarrassed by his question, 'I never really had any expectations about you. I guess because I never actually met you. You were just a name on a piece of paper to me. But please don't be offended by that, I want to get to know you, I just...'

'Had no expectations of me,' Mokuba waved his hand dismissively, 'don't worry about it. It's not like I had any expectations about you either.'

'You didn't even know I existed, what's my excuse?'

'I don't know,' he grinned, 'but if we look hard enough I'm sure we'll find one.'

* * *

Mokuba couldn't help but feel a mixture of apprehension and excitement. There was something about SK he liked and it wasn't just the fact he reminded him of his older brother. When SK talked about things which excited him you could tell they really excited him. It was the same level of passion Kaiba could have, only SK didn't mute it down or try to hide it. SK was how Kaiba would be if he wasn't so concerned with reputation and remembered he was still a kid once in a while. Not that SK was a kid anymore, not physically anyway, but it was clear to Mokuba he was still young at heart. Or at least young enough to still be an enthusiastic dreamer.

On the ride over to the Kame Game shop, Mokuba found himself engaging SK in idle chitchatter. It wasn't that he didn't have things he wanted to know about his cousin, he was just too afraid to ask. Besides, they would have plenty of time to get to know each other if SK really was serious about having a relationship with them. Solomon Motou was sweeping the doorstep of his shop when the limo they were in pulled up outside. To Mokuba's surprise, SK jumped out of the limo before it had even stopped moving. His face was filled with a wildly excited look and again Mokuba couldn't help but feel this is what his brother would be like if someone took him off mute.

'Mr Motou,' he grabbed hold of Solomon's hand. 'You are Mr Motou, aren't you?'

'Yes I am sonny,' Solomon stared at him in confusion, 'how can I help you?'

'Is your grandson about by any chance sir? It's important that I speak to him.'

'I'm afraid he's at the hospital taking care of friends of his at the moment, so I doubt he'll be up for a duel right now I'm afraid.'

'A what?' SK half shook his head.

'Hello there Mokuba,' Solomon nodded at him as he joined SK, 'is this young man with you?'

'Yeah he is,' Mokuba nodded.

'Well as I told him Yugi's at the hospital right now and probably not in the mood for duelling.'

'That's not why we're here,' Mokuba tried to keep his voice as level as possible. 'My cousin SK needs him to help with his research.'

'Your cousin?' Solomon frowned. 'I didn't know you had a cousin.'

'Neither did I till last night. He showed up out of the blue,' Mokuba suddenly felt uncomfortable. 'Anyway he needs Yugi's help with his research.'

'His research?' Solomon's eyes went towards SK.

'My research into historical genealogy,' SK licked his lips, 'you might not have heard about it, or about me, but I know you have met my friend and mentor Professor Hawkins.'

'Yes he's a good friend of mine.' The old man thought for a moment. 'In fact I think he might have mentioned a young man studying family lines from the Pharaohs to the modern day, you wouldn't happen to be Dr Khoral now would you SK?'

'Dr Seto Khoral,' SK nodded, 'I'm surprised Professor Hawkins mentioned me, I'm really not that impressive. Not yet anyway.'

'Perhaps not, but he felt your research was worth a lot of merit.' Solomon smiled warmly at him.

'It is,' SK licked his lips again. 'So... your grandson...?'

'Like I said, he's at the hospital taking care of friends right now.'

'Would he mind if I went to speak with him, only... well I'm not an impatient man, just...'

'Passionate,' Solomon laughed. 'Arthur did tell me you had a tendency to get wrapped up in the moment.'

'So do you think he would mind me seeing him now? Your grandson I mean.'

'I'm sure he'd be glad of the distraction.'

'Thank you,' SK bobbed him a slight bow, 'you have no idea how much this means to me.'

'No, I'm sure I don't, but I think I can imagine.'

'Thank you.'

Mokuba jumped into the back of the limo and held the door open for his cousin. SK moved towards the door, then his eyes rested back on Solomon for a moment and he frowned.

'Mr Motou did you ever…?' SK stopped himself and licked his lips again. 'Never mind.'

'No, go on young man, what were you about to ask me?'

'It doesn't matter; you'd probably just think I was crazy anyway.' He gave a friendly nod and pulled himself into the limo. 'Goodbye Mr Motou, thank you for your help.'

With the door to the limo now closed they pulled away. For a couple of minutes there was silence and Mokuba found himself studying his cousin carefully. There was a deeply thoughtful expression on his face mixed with just the slightest amount of confusion.

'SK are you okay?'

'I... I'm not sure,' his tongue skated across his lips again.

'What... what were you about to ask Mr Motou anyway?'

SK was silent for a few moments, then his gaze flicked towards Mokuba.

'Before my parents died my aunt, your mother, held a rather extravagant birthday party. It was an adult only affair so your brother and I were put up in the nursery to keep us out of the way.' He licked lips yet again. 'Alongside me and Seto there was one other kid in the room with us that night. Can't remember his name, but he was a similar age to your brother, I think. See his mum was one of my aunt's friends and was suppose to have spent the night being looked after by the woman's father or father-in-law, I can't remember which, but her husband for some reason couldn't make it, so she decided to invite the old man instead; of course that meant the kid had to come too. Anyway whilst your brother and the kid slept I snuck out into the hallway to watch the party going on below and the old man spotted me there and came to talk to me, said he felt out of place down there with all those lively young people. We chatted for a long time, can't really remember what about, but…' he hesitated. 'I've not thought about the party in a long time and I can barely remember what the old man even looked like, but... seeing Mr Motou like that just now I... I could have sworn he was that man.'

* * *

Somehow Tristan had managed to talk Jay into getting some sleep, not that the dead really needed to, not according to Jay anyway, but Tristan felt it would help level the guy out a little if he got some rest. Serenity had settled back down for a few more hours sleep of her own shortly after leaving Tristan as the only awake being in the whole room until morning. When morning finally hit the others started to come too slowly.

For a few long moments Tristan envied them their calm. He didn't know why, but the dread stirring within him suggested it was something he and he alone was feeling. That only he was ever going to feel. It was a lonely thought and one he prayed wasn't true, but something within him told him unless something major suddenly changed none of them would ever experience this. Tristan tried to shake the thought from his head, but it was as impossible to get rid of as it was lonely. Something he didn't understand was happening to him and it was already pulling him away from his friends.

'Tristan are you alright?' Yugi placed a hand on his shoulder, making him jump.

'I... I'm just tired,' Tristan tried to smile at him, 'I didn't get any sleep in the end.'

'Are you still getting that feeling?'

'Yeah, but I'm sure it'll settle down once we sort this Catilin mess out.'

Tristan tried to fill his face with a believable expression, but he could tell Yugi wasn't convinced. He turned his head away and sighed.

'What's happening to me Yugi, why do I feel this way?'

'I wish I could tell you Tristan.'

'I want it to stop. I really, really want this feeling to go away.' Tristan flicked a glance in his direction. 'Because I think... I think it's pulling me away from you guys and I don't understand why.'

'We won't let you get pulled away from us Tristan, you know that, right?' Joey suddenly appeared beside him. 'I know there's a lot going on right now, but I promise no matter what we'll all be friends, always.'

'That is what we promised, right?' Téa grinned as she joined them. 'That we'll always be there for each other no matter what. You'll never be alone Tristan, even if we're really far apart, none of us will ever be alone.'

'Thanks guys,' Tristan smiled at them wishing he could believe what they were saying, 'I feel a lot better now.'

'Well I'll feel a lot better once we have the whole Cat situation sorted out,' Joey's expression became firm. 'So what's our plan of attack on this one?'

'I'm not sure,' Yugi tilted his head to one side, 'do you think that woman you spoke to meant we were the others you needed or...'

'I don't know.' Joey folded his arms. 'I guess we have a lot of talking to do before we have this all figured out.'

'Right,' now it was Jay's turn to make an appearance, 'and I guess that talking starts with me.'

* * *

It had remembered everything. It knew what it was now. Who it was. It remembered how things had become so lost to it and it knew why it needed this body so much. A long time ago it had been powerful, strong, with a form all of its own. But then something had happened. A single moment of betrayal had destroyed everything and now it was incomplete.

'You're an insane little bit, aren't you?' It stared up at its reflection. 'There are some who would say I was insane too, wanna find out why?'

'I won't let you hurt anyone.' Its reflection glared back.

'But it won't just be me hurting them,' it moved towards the mirror, 'don't you understand that? You're a part of me now.'

'No.'

'Don't you get it little girl, I'm inside your head now. I control you; everything about you, even your fear of me is my doing. You are powerless.'

'No. No if that were true you would have left this room by now.' Its reflection shook her head. 'I'm the one keeping you here. I'm the one making you stay. Because that's my body and I still have enough control of it to...'

Its laughter cut off the reflection's words. It ran its hand gentle down the glass and laughed as she quivered at its touch.

'Kneel for me.'

Its reflection did as she was told, making it laugh again.

'You see, I was right, I control you.'

'No... I...'

'Don't try to argue with me little girl, you know I'm right. I'm inside your head now; I can make you do anything I want.' It touched the cheek of its reflection and smirked as she flinched away. 'You fear me because I want you to fear me. You fear me because you have no control. Say it.'

'N-no...'

'Say it. Say you have no control.'

'I...'

'Say it.'

'I have no control.'

* * *

'You can't be serious.'

'I am.'

'Are you really that afraid of a mortal threat?'

'Who said this had anything to do with fear?'

'No, of course it doesn't, you're just doing what you always do. Feeling guilty and instead of helping to resolve the situation you feel so guilty about you're choosing to run away from it. One of these days you're going to have to actually _do_ something. Or let me do something.'

'I am the eldest, the most powerful and the leader, that makes it my decision, not yours.'

'So you say what you always say. You decide we should hide ourselves away and let someone else deal with it. Well I'm tired of doing nothing; I say we stop this before it gets out of hand. A mortal threat...'

'It's more than just a mortal threat, something's changing, don't you feel it? Something's been wrong ever since that incident on Giya.'

'Isn't that what I've been saying for the last eighteen months? Does your apathy make you slow on the uptake as well as unable to act?'

'You have to get out of here, now. You have to hide.'

'You mean we have to hide, right?'

'No, you. I want you to gather our sister and hide somewhere safe. Things are about to change.'

'What do you mean things are about to change? Don't tell me the queen of doing nothing is about to...'

'I want you and our sister somewhere safe. I won't forgive myself if either of you gets hurt. Do you understand?'

'No, no I don't understand. What are you planning to do exactly?'

'Things have to change and we've known this change was coming for a long time.'

'You can't be serious.'

'It's the only way. It's the only way to make this right.'

'You're wrong. I won't let you do this.'

'I'm not giving you a choice. I won't see the two of you hurt. If this is what it takes to save you...'

'You can't mean that.'

'I can. Take our sister and hide, there's no reason it has to be all three of us. Just me will be enough.'

'But you don't do anything. You never do anything. Why now? I don't understand.'

'I don't either. But this is what my gut is telling me to do.'

'No, you're lying. Your gut is telling you to do what it always tells you to do. Nothing. You're going to face this threat and do nothing to stop it, aren't you? You think it's like those others, don't you? The one's from Giya. You think it's going to come after us and that it's going to be satisfied with just you.'

'I am the most powerful and this is a mortal darkness. Powerful, yes, but born from mortal anger, just like the others were. I don't know what drives them to come after us, but if I had to guess I'd say it was to do with power. They want to prove they're more powerful than we are.'

'So you're going to let them think that?'

'Isn't that why we had this plan in place to begin with?'

'I didn't realise it was a mortal threat we were so worried about. I thought... No, don't tell me you think...'

'I think that it's coming after us, but it's only going to find me.'

* * *

'What can you tell me about this thing controlling Cat,' Joey narrowed his gaze on Jay.

'Not a whole lot. I mean, its Octan's doing not mine and... and I really have no idea what he did. All I know is the Mistresses were very keen to keep Cat on Sil after.'

'Octan said something about them having some kind of backup plan,' Tristan pressed his lips together. 'When I mentioned it to you last night you said something about that plan being us, right Joey?'

'Err... yeah, I guess I did.' Joey gave a nervous laugh. 'If I'm being totally honest with you I can't remember what I did and didn't say last night. With everything going on...' he rubbed the back of his neck.

'Just tell us what your visitor told you,' Tristan massaged his temples.

'She said it was a mortal problem created by a friend of theirs,' Joey searched back through his memory. 'She also said she and her sisters had been watching the three of us again and that we would have to be the ones to stop it.'

'Three of us?' Yugi looked confused for a moment.

'She meant the three members of the Brotherhood of Brothers,' Jay gave a muted half laugh. 'Of course, it makes sense. Anything they could do to help would be too much for Cat's body to handle, but if the three of you were to act in their place...'

'Three of us?' Yugi repeated, cocking an eyebrow at Jay as he did. 'Which three?'

'The three Khines of the Brotherhood of Brothers,' Jay pressed his lips together, 'Veronie, you and...'

Before Jay could finish what he was saying, the door to the room flew open to reveal Mokuba and a young man. A man who, for half a second, Joey had almost mistaken for Kaiba in a bad wig. But then the definite visual differences crept in leaving Joey to wonder where his initial instinct had come from. Instead he joined the others in staring at the guy and waiting with a mixture of annoyance and anticipation for whatever was about to happen next.


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57**

Kaiba had never been one to take things on face value. Even though there was something about the guy which was, if nothing else, impressive Kaiba couldn't help but have his doubts about him. After all, his turning up at the end of Battle City with all the Egyptian fairytale nonsense that had contained was just a little too coincidental. He had this strange feeling Ishizu was behind this somehow and so set about trying to prove a connection between the so called Dr Khoral and the most annoying woman to enter his tournament.

It didn't take him long to start building up Dr Khoral's profile. He started with the blood connection to him and his brother. After all, there could be thousands of Seto Khorals out there for all Kaiba knew; this one could just be some chancer hoping to get lucky. It didn't take him long to track the connection down; he was definitely related to a Dr Seto Khoral, who had indeed been working on the same research the Dr Khoral he'd met had presented him with. Kaiba wasn't sure if he was relieved by that information or not. The idea of this guy being a relative was neither here nor there at this point. What he needed to know was what the guy's motives were.

He did a little more digging around, this time hoping to prove a connection between Dr Khoral and Ishizu. What he discovered caused a reaction in him he wasn't totally expecting. For a few moments he read and reread the information, making sure it was definitely still talking about the same Dr Khoral. A wave of anger hit him like a jolt through the stomach; nobody lied to Seto Kaiba like this and got away with it.

* * *

Tristan felt his stomach bubbling over with dread again. Just when he'd managed to settle it enough to think clearly on his zero amount of sleep, something came along and upset it all over again. He exchanged a quick glance with Jay, who chose that exact moment to flick a glance of his own in Tristan's direction.

'Hi,' the stranger dragged their attention back towards him, 'I'm sure you must be wondering what kind of jerk would come to a complete group of strangers first thing in the morning, whilst those strangers are in hospital attending to their friend no less.' He laughed awkwardly before licking his lips. 'And I'm sure you must also be curious as to why I have the vice president of Kaiba Corp at my side. Truth is there's a very simple answer to both of these questions.'

'I'm sure there is.' Jay tilted his head.

'Who are you?' Mokuba frowned at him.

'I'm Jay, who are you?'

'I'm Mokuba Kaiba.'

'We've met somewhere before, haven't we?' Jay turned his attention back towards the stranger.

'I don't think so,' the stranger licked his lips again, 'I'm Dr Khoral, but my friends call me SK.'

'SK,' Jay narrowed his gaze on him, 'aren't you the guy doing research into finding family links between Egyptian Pharaohs and people alive today?'

'Yeah I am.' SK's face lit up with pride. 'You've heard of me?'

'No, I've met you before.'

'I don't remember…'

'No... no I don't think you do remember. Clever,' Jay smirked for a moment, 'very clever, but then they always were. I did think it was strange, but it all makes so much sense now; a backup plan for a backup plan.'

'Jay,' Tristan caught his gaze, 'is this guy...'

'We'll talk about it later Tristan.'

There were a few moments of silence as the group exchanged momentarily confused glances. SK's tongue skated across his lips a few more times and Tristan couldn't decide if it was a nervous habit or not.

'So SK,' Serenity broke the silence, 'how do you know Mokuba?'

'I don't, well not really,' his face filled with a wary smile, 'I only met him for the first time last night.'

'He's my long lost cousin,' Mokuba interpreted, 'he's here to talk to Joey, Serenity and Yugi about his research. Me and Seto are connected too, which is really cool. We're going to have this whole photo taking session later, that's if you guys don't mind.'

'So I'm not one of the trio then?' Tristan shot another glance in Jay's direction.

'Does that really surprise you?'

'I guess not at this point,' he shrugged, 'you guys mind if I pop out for something to eat? Only I think I'm going to faint if I don't get some kind of fuel into me.'

'What you need is sleep Tristan,' Téa folded her arms, 'and it sounds like SK is going to tell us something important, why would you bail now?'

'Because I'm going to get my explanation from Jay,' he made his way out of the room, 'anyone want me to bring them back some breakfast?'

He left the room before any of them could get a reply in. He knew he was being more than a little bit rude, but his sleep deprived brain was acting on instinct and his instincts were telling him to talk to Jay sooner rather than later.

'You noticed it right away, didn't you?'

'Am I going to have to put up with things like this for the rest of my life?' Tristan folded his arms. 'I mean, noticing all the little weird things in the world around me.'

'I think it's just the heightened effects of you being an ammovate still, but...' Jay shrugged.

'That means you don't know if this is going to go away or not, right,' Tristan groaned.

'Sorry.'

'I feel like I'm losing my friends,' he massaged his temples, 'like I just can't connect to them anymore; like I'm on a totally different planet to them. And I want to believe our friendship will keep us together no matter what, but... The longer this goes on, the less I feel like I belong with them.'

Jay was silent and Tristan found himself studying the dead guy for a few minutes. Then a heavy sigh worked its way out of him and he focused on the conversation they should be having.

'Does he even know what's really going on here?'

'I don't think so,' Jay shook his head, 'but I think that's the point. From what I know of the third member of the new Brotherhood it was going to take a lot to convince him to go along with all this.'

'Well from what I know about Kaiba I'm not sure this SK guy's going to be enough to convince him of anything.' Tristan folded his arms.

'You're right, their plan does seem to contain a lot of wild cards, but maybe this will at least get this Kaiba guy in the same place as the other two. Hopefully that'll at least be enough.'

'So then why doesn't he know?' Tristan began digging around in his coat pocket as they reached one of the vending machines.

'Who SK?'

'Yeah, why doesn't he know what he's really here for?'

'Motivation.'

'Motivation?'

'Yeah you know that thing which drives people to do or say or act or think in a particular way,' Jay smirked at him.

'I know what motivation is, what I don't get is what it has to do with that SK guy not knowing he's...'

'Because it would change his motivation.' Jay shrugged. 'Trust me, once you know, you don't feel the same way about anything.'

'I think I can understand that.'

'No,' he shook his head, 'you really can't. But that's a good thing.'

'So... do we tell him?'

'I don't know,' Jay frowned, 'I'm not sure it's our place to. Normally in these situations there's a plan of some sort already in place to... you know.'

'What if we are that plan?' Tristan finally selected the chocolate he wanted and keyed the number into the machine.

'Then at some point we'll know,' Jay tilted his head in thought, 'but until then...'

'Until then we let things play out however they're meant to, right?'

'Right, you know you're pretty good at this.'

'Years of being the sidekick,' Tristan smirked. 'This side of things is what I do best.'

'You really are something special Tristan,' Jay studied him for a moment, 'you may have to get used to playing more of a main role.'

'Not until I absolutely have to,' Tristan opened his bar of chocolate and stared down at it for a moment, 'not unless it's the only way to make things right.'

'And what if it is?'

'Then I'll come off the sideline, but until then...'

'Until then you'll eat chocolate and let the others get on with it, right?'

'I don't argue with your methods, so you can't argue with mine.'

* * *

Solomon took a deep breath in and stared up at the stone tablets in front of him. In a few hours they would be packed away and moved onto another exhibit. But right now, in the calm of the almost empty museum, Solomon found himself soaking in the last little bit of awe these tablets would ever give anyone. Or at least anyone in Domino City. There was a shuffling of feet behind him and the reflection of a young woman appeared in the glass casing of one of the tablets. A heavy sigh worked its way through Solomon; this was a conversation he wasn't looking forward to having, but one he felt he must have none the less.

'You're the young woman who headed up the dig which uncovered these tablets, aren't you?' Solomon lowered his head slightly.

'My name is Ishizu Ishtar and you must be Professor Hawkins friend; he told me you wished to speak to me about something.'

Solomon gave another heavy sigh and placed a hand against the glass of the case he was stood in front of. For a few moments he allowed silence to wrap around them, then he found the words pushing their way out of him as though they were just waiting to be said.

'I heard the excavation of these proved to be a lot more difficult than you anticipated.'

'There was an unfortunate accident, yes.'

'How many died?'

'Only one, the rest were just severely injured. In a lot of ways we got off lightly, but...'

'Miss Ishtar I have seen a lot of things in my life. Enough to know that sometimes what seems impossible is actually the most likely answer. It's taught me never to jump to conclusions and I pride myself on my open mind.' Solomon half turned towards her. 'But even I'm not sure what I want to believe about this.'

'About what exactly?'

'This morning a man came to me claiming to be Dr Seto Khoral.'

'SK... but... that's not possible.'

'That's exactly what Professor Hawkins said when I told him.' He returned his eyes to the tablet in front of him. 'I must admit, of all the things I expected my old friend to tell me about the young doctor, that wasn't exactly on my list.'

'Where is this man now?' Ishizu took a step towards him.

'At the hospital with my grandson, I should think. If you leave now you might be able to catch him before he moves on.'

'Yes, I ought to meet with him.' She hesitated. 'This man, did he...?'

'He didn't do or say anything to make me doubt his story.' Solomon cut her off. 'And with everything I've seen in my life... Miss Ishtar I beg you, please meet him, I need you to tell me if my grandson is in danger or not.'

'I... I'm not sure I should...'

'Is that fear or guilt talking?'

'Both. I too have seen a lot in my life. If it really is him...'

'You have to find out Miss Ishtar, you're the only one in the whole city who'll know for sure if it's him or not.'

'And if it's not?'

'Then you'll be the only one who can protect my grandson from whatever scheme this person is up to.' Solomon turned towards her. 'I'm trusting you to keep him safe, please don't let me down.'


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter 58**

'So your name is SK Khoral?' Joey eyed the newcomer up suspiciously.

'Err… no,' he laughed, 'SK are my initials, my first name is actually Seto.'

'But that's Kaiba's first name.' Yugi frowned, 'didn't Mokuba say you were his cousin.'

'He did. I am, but... Well there's a story behind everything but right now I'd rather not bore you with mine,' he licked his lips.

'So why are you here?' Now it was Serenity's turn to look curious.

'My research,' he nervously licked his lips again, 'I'm here because of my research and your connection to it. You are Serenity Wheeler right?'

She nodded.

'Fantastic.' He licked his lips for a third time. 'The explanation to all this is a bit complicated, but bare with me and I'll try to make it a simple as possible.'

'Before we start, I have a question,' Joey folded his arms, 'why are we humouring this guy when we have more important things to worry about?'

'Because, genius, what he has to say might have something to do with how you're going to help Catilin,' Téa rolled her eyes.

'And what exactly makes you think that?'

'He mentioned a brotherhood of three, remember?'

'Right,' Joey rubbed his forehead, 'sorry I'm having a little trouble concentrating on all this today. I guess I didn't get enough sleep last night.'

'I think we're all feeling the effects of that,' Yugi shot him a sympathetic look.

'Err... Mokuba,' SK licked his lips and shot a glance in the younger boy's direction, 'is this what your brother was meant when he accused me of being here to spout fairytale mumbo-jumbo?'

'Pretty much,' Mokuba laughed, 'I know it's confusing, but this kind of thing goes with the territory when it comes to Yugi and his friends.'

'No wonder he wasn't keen on spending too much time with them.' He cocked an eyebrow in a very Kaiba-like manner. 'Look, I don't know what you guys are on about, but I'm here to talk about my research and nothing more. If there's something else going on, I assure you it's nothing to do with me.'

'If you exchange the research talk for duelling references and add in a little arrogance we could have been in the presence of Kaiba,' Joey shook his head.

'It's almost eerie, isn't it?' Mokuba grinned. 'It's what convinced me he really was my cousin.'

'Why do I get the feeling I'm going to have to talk several circles before any of you pay attention to my research,' SK licked his lips once more, 'this is really all I'm here for. Please.'

'So what do you know about the Brotherhood of Brothers?' Tristan's voice sounded from the doorway as he and Jay re-entered.

'Quite a bit actually,' a huge grin filled his face, 'for a start the founder of the Brotherhood was the Pharaoh himself. It was made up of a triad involving himself and his two greatest friends.'

'Two greatest friends?' Yugi frowned.

'Yes, a man known as Simüte Lutoni, who married the Pharaoh's younger cousin Nima Karinal and the Pharaoh's elder cousin Tao Karinal,' SK's tongue skated across his lips. 'My research uncovered a few inscriptions which suggest Tao was actually the Pharaoh's older half brother and my own DNA testing proved this to be the case. They are... or rather were maternal brothers. Which means the Brotherhood of Brothers was made up of a powerful tri-vector; blood, friendship and marriage.'

'A powerful tri-vector?' Joey shook his head in confusion.

'Blood, friendship and marriage were seen as very powerful bonds, but maybe tri-vector wasn't exactly the word I was looking for,' he gave a nervous laugh. 'When I get excited about things I sometimes spout words before I really think about them. Maybe I should have said triad; they were a very powerful triad. And each member of the triad's wife had a daughter on the same day, which is where my research comes in. See I wanted to trace the lines from these daughters to their modern day descendents.'

'And I take it from the fact you're here you have.' Joey felt his brain suddenly step up a gear.

'Talma, daughter of Tao, is the ancestor of the Kaiba brothers. Annu, daughter of Simüte, is the ancestor of yourself and your sister Serenity. Lilly, daughter of the Pharaoh, is the ancestor of Yugi.'

'I knew my blood predetermined me becoming the Khine of Simüte,' Joey tilted his head to one side and glanced toward Yugi, 'but I guess the same was true of you and Kaiba as well.'

'Khine...? What...? I don't understand,' SK licked his lips again and shot Joey a confused look. 'Don't you get what I'm talking about here? I'm talking about DNA evidence.'

'And in a way so am I.' Joey met his gaze. 'There's a stone tablet in the local museum which depicts the Pharaoh you're talking about and that Tao guy; they look exactly like Yugi and Kaiba.'

'Well genetically speaking some resemblance would be more than possible, but...'

'I'm not talking about a resemblance. I'm not saying they look a little like the carvings. I'm saying they're identical. Just like I would look identical to a carving of Simüte.'

'Stop making light of my research.' SK glared at him. 'I'm not talking about fairytales here, I'm talking about serious science. Serious research. Data. Proof. Hard facts. If you're not going to take me seriously.'

'Trust me SK, they're taking you seriously,' Jay smirked and leant back against the wall. 'This is just their way of taking you seriously. Their way of processing the information you've given them.'

'But this is nonsense.'

'No, this is what they need to help Cat.'

'And just who the hell is this Cat woman everyone keeps talking about?' SK half glared at him. 'All I want to do is gather the descendents together.'

'You're driven by a desire to gather the descendents together?' Jay studied him for a moment.

'I wouldn't call it a desire, exactly,' SK licked his lips again, 'and I wouldn't say I was driven either. I just want to take a few pictures of them all together. I thought it would be a nice thing to add to my work before it's published. Is that too much to ask?'

'It is when you're stealing someone else's work.'

The sound of Kaiba's voice made Joey's insides squirm; there was a subtle level of anger in it he only ever reserved for someone who was hurting his brother. Everyone turned towards him as his penetrating blue eyes focused on SK.

'What do you mean,' SK laughed in surprise as his tongue once again skated across his lips, 'I haven't stolen anything.'

* * *

It had enjoyed torturing its reflection, but now it was time for it to move onto a bigger prize. A prize it had been longing for, for a long time. If they thought it was a _mortal_ _problem_ they were about to find out just how wrong they were. They would know what pain was then. Real pain. The kind it enjoyed to watch. To create. To savour. Yes, they would regret ever thinking of it as a _mortal problem_.

'What are you planning to do?' Its reflection's eyes were almost glazed over and her voice was soft and unassuming.

'Make them like us.'

'What do you mean?'

'Make them incomplete. Broken.'

'Why?'

'For control. If they won't share then what other choice do we have but to take,' it laughed, 'and we will take.'

'We? There are more of you?'

'There are,' it smirked, 'they're just not awake yet, but they will be, soon. And when they are... We'll make sure they regret not sharing.'


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter 59**

'What do you mean,' SK laughed in surprise as his tongue once again skated across his lips, 'I haven't stolen anything.'

'Don't lie to me,' Kaiba gritted his teeth, 'tell me who you are.'

'I told you, I'm Seto Khoral.'

'Don't make me laugh.'

'But you saw my research.'

'No I saw the research of a Dr Seto Khoral. _The_ Dr Seto Khoral, but you are not him.'

'Seto, what's going on?' Mokuba stared at him. 'Are you saying SK is lying to us?'

'I'm saying he's not SK.' Kaiba folded his arms. 'He's an imposter and I'd like to know what the hell he's trying to do passing himself off as my cousin.'

'I'm not an imposter,' SK felt cornered. 'Why would you think I was an imposter?'

'Because you can't be my cousin.'

'What are you talking about Seto?' Mokuba took a step towards him. 'How can you be so sure he's not our cousin?'

'I'm sure he can answer that better than I can,' Kaiba glared at him.

Everyone's eyes turned towards SK and he felt his whole body start to squirm. He'd always hated being under the spotlight, it made him feel exposed and uncomfortable. His nerves got the better of him and his tongue skated across his lips several times.

'I don't understand why you think I'm lying.' SK turned from the elder of his two cousins to give a pleading look to the younger. 'Look, please believe me; everything I've told you is true. All of it. Why would I lie?'

'I don't…' Mokuba half shook his head and exchanged a look with Kaiba.

'I'm not...' SK could hear the desperation creeping into his voice, 'I'm not lying. I swear I'm not lying.' His eyes glanced around the room. 'I am Seto Khoral. Dr Seto Khoral. SK. You've got to believe me.'

A wall of silence descended around them. Everyone's gazes were focused on him. Judging him. It made his head hurt. It made his whole being hurt and he didn't understand why.

'I am SK,' his tongue skated across his lips as he forced the words out, 'Seto Khoral. That's who I am. That's who I've always been.'

'You're lying.' Kaiba's voice was cold and cutting.

'I'm not lying. Why do you think I'm lying?'

'Because you're an imposter, you have to be,' Kaiba's jaw line hardened, 'because the real Dr Seto Khoral is dead.'

* * *

It was surprised, yet somehow not disappointed to find her on her own like this. A smirk spread across its face as it made its way towards her. This was somehow so fitting, so perfect. Its equal opposite had no idea just how vulnerable she was. But soon... soon she would know what it was like to be incomplete and then... then her sisters would follow.

'I've been expecting you,' her voice was exactly as it remembered, soft but with a crystal clear kind of clarity no other being could ever hope to achieve.

'Really,' it chuckled, 'and here I was thinking you were expecting a mortal problem.'

'You are a mortal problem,' she turned towards it.

'You have no idea what I am, do you?'

For a few long moments she was silent. It waited patiently, hoping beyond hope it would recognise it. This wouldn't be anywhere near as much fun if she didn't know it for what it was.

'You are a mortal problem,' she took a step towards it. 'Maybe you didn't start that way, but you are now. And so long as you are mortal you will never get what you want.'

'Is that what you think?'

'That's what I know; you see a mortal cannot rule the heavens.' She held its gaze. 'You are incomplete and as long as you remain that way you will remain mortal. It doesn't matter what you do, how much control you take of the Mortal Planes, as long as you are incomplete you will never gain control of the heavens. And if you don't control the heavens you have nothing.'

'Then I'll just have to make sure you don't have it either,' it pulled the knife it was concealing.

'You think a mortal weapon frightens me?' She laughed. 'You cannot kill me with that.'

'I don't plan on killing you,' it smirked, 'I just wanna make you like me. Incomplete.'

'I'm not going to stop you,' she held her arms open. 'You can do what you like to me, but I will make sure you can never hurt my sisters.'

'What makes you think you'll have a choice about that?'

'What makes you think I don't?' She remained calm. 'I will stop you before you can hurt them.'

'But not before you can save yourself,' it laughed, 'what kind of plan is that?'

'It's a plan where I do what I do best,' she half lowered her head. 'Do your worst to me. Make me incomplete. But know this, in doing so you will seal your own fate. Hatred and anger brought you out as a mortal problem, but since you are a mortal problem you can be locked away again. I have been waiting for you and I assure you I am ready.'

* * *

Tristan felt bad for the guy as everyone except him and Jay stared at him with judgemental anticipation. He knew SK had to find out sometime, but like this probably wasn't what _they_ had in mind. Tristan flicked a glance in Jay's direction, it was clear he was thinking the same thing Tristan was. The two of them would have to interfere eventually, but for now it was best if they said nothing.

'W-what?' SK choked out the word as his tongue skated across his lips.

'You heard me,' Kaiba glared at him, 'the real Dr Seto Khoral is dead.'

'No,' SK repeatedly shook his head, 'no, it's not possible. It can't be possible. I am Seto Khoral. I am SK. I am not dead.'

'Don't waste my time with any more of your lies. Do you have any idea how sick it makes me just looking at you? To know you would dishonour the memory of my cousin like this. Just because I didn't know the guy, doesn't mean you have any right to think for one second you could get away with trying to trick me like this.' Kaiba's eyes flashed with anger. 'Now tell me who you really are.'

'I'm telling you the truth, I am SK.'

'So you're dead then?' Joey cocked an eyebrow at him.

'No... I... I'm not...' his tongue skated across his lips, 'I'm not dead. I am SK and I am not dead.'

'Liar,' Kaiba gripped hold of SK's lab coat collar, 'tell me who you are and how the hell you managed to get a hold of my cousin's work.'

'I am SK. I am Seto Khoral. I am SK. I'm not dead. I am SK.'

'Stop lying,' Kaiba shook him. 'Did you really think you could assume my cousins identity and get away with it just because I've never met the guy?'

'I don't understand. I don't understand,' he shook his head, his eyes wide with a mixture of confusion and fear. 'I'm… I'm not assuming anyone's identity. I am SK. I am Seto Khoral. I am SK. I am not an imposter. I am SK. I am SK. I am SK.'

'Dr Seto Khoral is dead.' Kaiba tossed him to the ground. 'You might possibly be insane, but you're nothing more than an imposter; either way I've lost my patience with you. Tell me who you really are and tell me now.'

'I am SK. I am SK. I am SK.' SK's eyes took on an almost glazed over look as confusion contorted his features. 'I am Seto Khoral. I am SK.'


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter 60**

SK felt as though everything were spiralling out of control. Images and memories flickered through his mind like some old fashioned picture show. He battered the thoughts away. It just wasn't possible. He didn't know what was going on, but those thoughts... those memories... they just weren't possible, they couldn't be. Desperation forced him to cling onto the only the only thought he could be sure of.

'I am SK.' He squeezed his eyes shut. 'I am Seto Khoral. I am SK.'

'That's getting old.' Kaiba's voice seethed with anger. 'Tell us who you really are and what you hoped to achieve with this deception.'

'I'm not... I am SK, I…' he stared at his hands as though they were foreign objects. 'I'm SK.'

'I'm not sure I can take this anymore,' Tristan gripped the material of his shirt just above his stomach. 'Maybe we should tell them what's going on,' he flicked a glance towards Jay.

'We can't, it's not our place,' Jay shook his head. 'But for what it's worth I really do know how you feel about this one.'

'You're in on this too?' Kaiba turned on them. 'I might have known.'

'This situation isn't what you think Kaiba,' Tristan folded his arms. 'It's not a conspiracy.'

'It's sure starting to feel that way to me, because I'm definitely not about to believe you if you tell me that imposter really is my dead cousin.'

'Then how about you believe me?' Ishizu suddenly appeared in the doorway.

'Great, I might have known you'd show your face sooner or later,' Kaiba rolled his eyes. 'I don't have the time, the want or the patience to listen to another one of your fairytales Ishizu, so why don't you just get lost already?'

'I can't do that, not until this situation is resolved,' Ishizu turned her gaze towards SK.

'Miss Ishtar,' SK's tongue skated across his lips several times in rapid succession, 'maybe… maybe you can help me. Please... please... I need you... I need you to tell me who I am. Please can you… can you tell me who I am?'

'Do you... do you remember what happened?'

'That's not answering my question,' he shook his head as several more images flashed into his mind. 'I need you to tell me who I am. What's my name? What's my name?'

'You are Dr Seto Khoral.'

'Of course you're going to say that,' Kaiba glared at her, 'you get off on all this insane nonsense. My cousin is dead. Dr Seto Khoral is dead. This man is an imposter.'

'I am not dead,' SK crushed his hands against the sides of his head. 'Tell him I'm not dead. Tell him how you know me.'

'We met a little over six months ago. You were looking for evidence to support the background you proposed for your research and we got talking,' a slim smile appeared on her face. 'You were so passionate and full of life. You were like no one I'd ever met before and your enthusiasm was so catching.'

'You asked me to help you with one of your digs,' SK got to his feet, 'and I was glad to do it because... because the tablets you wanted to uncover I was hoping depicted all three members of the Brotherhood of Brothers. I knew the chances of all three were slim, but... even if it was just two of them I would have been happy. The cousins' story excited me and so did their fathers.'

'I remember,' she took a few steps towards him, 'it was all you talked about for days. It was your enthusiasm which made it so hard...' she cut herself off.

'Made what so hard?' SK stared at her.

'You don't remember what happened, do you?'

'I... I remember going into the excavation point. I remember digging and then... then I found myself back at my desk.' Images once again buzzed inside SK's mind. 'It all felt so normal to me. So natural. And everything came so easily to me. It was like all the pieces of the puzzle I'd been working on suddenly slotted together. I don't understand,' his body trembled, 'Ishizu what happened to me?'

'Maybe... maybe you don't need to know,' Ishizu shook her head, 'maybe this is too much for you.'

'Whether he hears it from you now or not, he will remember eventually,' Jay gave a heavy sigh. 'It doesn't matter whether its denial or someone else's will making you forget, eventually you always remember. That's the way it is. That's the way it's always been.'

'The way what's always been?' SK stared at him.

'Death.'

The word cut across the room like a steal knife through butter. Kaiba grunted, shook his head and shot an unimpressed look in Jay's direction.

'Look, kid, if you're about to tell me that man is really my cousin then forget it. My cousin is dead and the last I checked the dead don't come back to pay visits to relatives they barely knew and twitter on about research only they care about. Whoever that man is, he is not my cousin and he is definitely not dead.'

'Funny, last I checked I knew a whole lot more about death than you do,' Jay stepped forward. 'I'm dead.'

'Yeah right kid. Next you're going to tell me this is all some virtual world you hooked your brain into in order to survive.' Kaiba rolled his eyes. 'Been there, done that; didn't really care much for it the first time.'

'This is not a virtual world,' Jay smirked, 'but I really am dead. If you don't believe me then check this out.'

Jay rolled his shoulders back and his whole appearance changed. The colour drained out of his skin as it became mottled and blue. The bones of his neck became twisted and jagged as dried blood matted into his hair. His clothing became dishevelled and torn in several places. As his eyes focused on Kaiba, SK couldn't help but shudder in fear. This guy didn't just look dead; he looked as though he'd died painfully.

'This is some sort of trick,' Kaiba backed away.

'My father dropped me head first out of a window,' Jay's voice creaked as he spoke, 'I assure you it's no trick.'

'Your father dropped you out of a window?' Tristan cocked an eyebrow at him. 'Okay, I'm starting to understand Octan's motives a little better now.'

'I'm glad one of us is,' Jay rolled his body and it returned to normal.

'I don't know who or what you are kid,' Kaiba narrowed his gaze on him, 'but if you're asking me to believe that man,' he pointed towards SK, 'is my dead cousin, then you have another thing coming.'

'Well it's a good job I'm not asking you to believe it then, isn't it?' Jay smirked. 'I'm asking SK to.'

'I... I can't be,' SK licked his lips, 'I can't be dead. It's just not possible.'

'I remember that feeling. It took me a while to come to terms with what happened, even though I was pretty much thrown head first into serving the Mistresses.' Jay moved towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder. 'But trust me, the sooner you accept the fact you're dead, the easier all this will become on you.'

'How... how am I supposed to accept this?'

'By allowing yourself to remember what happened.'

'I...' the images flashed through SK's mind again. 'I...' with every passing second they became stronger and more defined. 'I... I remember... there... there was a cave in. Something... something heavy connected with my head and... and everything went so... so dark and cold. Then... then I found myself at my desk. I thought I'd dreamt it.' SK's tongue skated across his lips again. 'But I didn't dream it, I died. I actually died in that cave in. I died. How did I not remember?'

'Because it was the only way to get the Khines of the Brotherhood of Brothers together I guess,' Jay shrugged. 'Who knows, it was probably the Mistresses idea, so you'll have to ask them.'

'The Mistresses...?'

Before he could get any further with what he was saying, Joey started screaming in pain. All eyes went towards him as he clutched his head and dropped to his knees in agony.

'Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!'


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter 61**

He didn't know what it was or where it had come from, he just wanted it to stop, because the noise in his head was as unbearable as the pain which rippled through his body.

'Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.' He felt as though he was screaming at the top of his lunges, but he could barely hear his own voice above the rush of noise inside his head. 'Shut up. Shut up. Go away. Shut up. Shut up.'

The noise rushed around him like the chattering of a million voices. All talking at once. All overlapping. There was too much noise. Too many voices. They were suffocating his own thoughts. Squeezing out everything that was him. It hurt. His whole body hurt. Thinking hurt. Breathing hurt. Everything hurt.

'Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.'

A bolt of silence shot through his brain, forcing his head to jerk violently back. For a few long moments he found himself staring almost sightlessly at the ceiling, then everything fizzled into a noisy kind of darkness.

* * *

'It hurts,' Joey lowered his head slowly as a strange multi-tonal voice poured out of his mouth. 'What...' he placed a hand against his throat, 'I don't understand, why do I sound like this?'

'Joey?' Tristan frowned as he took a step away from him.

'Joey...?' He repeated as he studied his own hands. 'Everything is different.' He buried his face in his hands.

'Jay what's going on?' Tristan flicked a glance in his direction. 'Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels...'

'Something has happened, but...'

'I've had just about all I can take of this,' Kaiba made his way towards the door, 'come on Mokuba.'

'You can't leave,' Joey got to his feet and held a hand out towards the door.

The door instantly swung shut in Kaiba's face, making him glare angrily round at his captor. If Yugi and his friends were about to get mixed up in more of their fairytale nonsense, then he wanted to get as far away as possible. The fact Joey had taken it upon himself to stop him from leaving was just another annoyance Kaiba could do without.

'You can't tell me what to do, anymore than you can scare me with your cheep magic tricks,' Kaiba tugged on the door handle, but it wouldn't budge.

'I told you, you can't leave. I need your help.' Joey's voice remained multi-tonal.

There was something about it which unnerved Kaiba a little, not that he was about to admit it to the others any time soon.

'You can't force me to stay Wheeler.'

'I can. I can because I need to.' Joey took a few steps towards him. 'I made a promise and I refuse to break that promise. You will help me, whether you want to or not.'

'Yeah right,' he rolled his eyes, 'and what makes you so sure of that?'

'Because I am a lot stronger than you are,' Joey grabbed hold of Kaiba's arm and twisted it behind his back, 'and this time I can't afford to sit back and do nothing.'

'Let go of me,' Kaiba winced, almost unable to believe how much pain Joey's grip was causing him.

'Not until you agree to help me.'

'Let go of me Wheeler, right now.'

'No.' Joey's grip tightened causing Kaiba to cry out with pain. 'Not until you agree to help me.'

'You've lost it Wheeler.'

'Maybe I have, but only because I've had to. Now agree to help me.'

'Fine,' Kaiba gritted his teeth, 'if it'll get you to let go of me I'll agree to help. But note I'm doing so under protest.'

'I don't care what your reasons are,' Joey let go of him, 'all I need is for you to help me.'

* * *

Its search for the other two had begun. It knew they had to be somewhere nearby, after all the loyalty between the sisters was something they'd always paraded around like it set them apart somehow. As if _they_ were _so_ perfect. It knew better than anyone of the trouble which brewed beneath the surface of the so call perfect sisterhood. But even so in times of crises they always stuck close together, protecting each other from whatever big bad might be coming their way.

It couldn't help but laugh at its own thoughts. It was definitely a big bad. The biggest bad they'd ever known. So what if it was incomplete, it had still managed to achieve something no _mortal problem_ could have ever achieved. That spoke more volume than anything else. When others heard about what happened they would speak its name with as much reverence as fear. There would be those who would worship it for what it had achieved and that worship would do more for it than the sisters could possibly imagine. Not even in their worst nightmares.

Yes it was incomplete. Yes it had been asleep for a long time. But it still knew how the multiverse worked. It still knew the sisters had, on the surface at least, given up their seats of power to their children. But that didn't matter; even in its incomplete state it was still powerful. And with its power it could sense the two things it would need to take on anyone who might challenge its right to the most powerful seat in the multiverse. All it would need then would be a little bit of worship to turn it from God Class into a God.


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter 62**

Just looking at Joey made Tristan's whole being buzz in a way which made him feel really, really uncomfortable. It made the palms of his hands sweat and the dread inside him twist and spike every other second. He wanted to leave the room. He wanted to walk away and not look back, but he knew he couldn't do that. Just like he knew he couldn't ignore the way Joey's new multi-tonal voice sent shivers up his spine which only added to his uncomfortable feeling. Whatever had just happened to his friend had changed everything and not necessarily for the better.

'Yugi, Kaiba, I'm only going to need the two of you for this,' Joey's eyes flicked between them. 'The rest of you can leave.'

'You're dismissing us?' Jay gawked at him. 'But...'

'Get out of my sights, now,' Joey cut him off, 'it's your fault this is happening.'

'I... but... no... Octan...'

'He did this for you. He did all of it for you. That makes it your fault. You corrupted him. Get out of my sight.'

'Joey...' Téa placed a hand on his arm, 'what's gotten into you?'

Joey pulled away from her but said nothing. Instead his whole being tensed as he moved towards the window. The uncomfortable feeling in Tristan grew as he forced himself to take a step towards his friend.

'Joey, I think... I think something's happened to you and...'

'I thought I told everyone else to leave,' Joey didn't even bother to glance towards him.

'You're not acting like yourself right now Joey, can't you see that?'

Joey gave a half laugh which sounded just as multi-tonal as his new voice. He shot a glance in Tristan's direction and for a moment held him in his gaze. It made Tristan's heart race and he forced himself to turn away.

'Don't stare at me like that.'

'You're special. I don't know why, but you are.' Joey took a step towards him. 'Still, I don't care how special you are, no one tells me what to do. If I want to stare at you, I will stare at you. Do you understand?'

'Joey, you're scaring me.' Serenity suddenly appeared beside him. 'What's wrong with you big brother?'

'Brother...?' Joey stared at her for a moment, before running his fingers back through his hair. 'So much I have to get used to, but I don't have time for this now. Those of you who are not required for this need to leave, I will not ask again.'

'Okay, we're going,' Tristan folded his arms.

'Tristan?' Téa gawked at him. 'We can't...'

'It's not as though we have a choice Téa.' He shrugged.

'But...'

'Téa we're leaving. If he only needs Kaiba and Yugi for this, then he only needs Kaiba and Yugi for this. Why argue with him?'

'I don't know, maybe because something is pretty clearly possessing him right now.' Téa shot him a look. 'How can you act as though you're okay with this?'

'Who said anything about being okay with it?' Tristan gripped the material above his stomach as the dread inside of him swirled with a vengeance. 'But if he doesn't need us then he doesn't need us; arguing with him will just make things worse.'

'I think Tristan might be right on this one Téa,' Yugi placed a hand on her shoulder. 'You guys go get breakfast or something, we all knew it was going to come down to the three of us eventually, so it might as well be now.'

* * *

Mokuba followed the others down to the hospital's canteen. There was a strange level of tension between them, but for each it was pretty clear the tension was coming from a very different place. As soon as they reached the canteen Tristan took charge, directing them towards one of the larger tables before dragging Jay off to get food for them all. It was strange seeing him taking such a commanding role in things, when Mokuba was so used to seeing Tristan as one of Yugi's sidekicks. But the headstrong, stubborn attitude he usually reserved for defending his friends appeared to be more than compatible with the leadership role he was stepping into. When all hell seemed to be breaking loose around them, it was a comfort to know someone was able to keep a cool head and steer their ship away from the icebergs.

It didn't take long for Tristan and Jay to arrive back with enough food for everyone, including the supposedly two dead guys. It forced Mokuba to turn his attention towards SK for the first time since they'd left Duke's hospital room. The firm set of the jaw and the self-determining look in his eyes were so much like his brother's Mokuba knew in his heart this man had to be his cousin. But the fact Dr Seto Khoral was dead made him doubt his own certainties as well as break the small piece of his heart which still held out hope of deepening lost family connections.

But SK wasn't the only supposed dead person at the table. Jay too claimed to have returned from beyond the grave. His little display earlier had been almost enough to convince Mokuba. Almost. He'd seen enough of what holographic technology could do to know it was possible for someone to rig something like that up. His brief inspection of the hospital room before they'd been kicked out hadn't turned anything up, but that didn't mean it wasn't there.

Mokuba gave a heavy sigh and tried to figure out which he'd rather believe; that he was sat at a table with two dead guys or that he was sat at a table with an imposter and an incredibly good technological wiz-kid actor.

'I can't believe I'm dead.' SK broke the silence which clung to the group.

'I can't believe you're here,' Ishizu met his gaze. 'When I met with Mr Motou this morning I felt sure you had to be some kind of imposter, but... You really are here.'

'I wish I understood how this was possible,' SK stared down at his hands as his tongue skated across his lips. 'I mean, how am I here? Surely there's some kind of barrier in place to prevent things like this.'

'There is... kinda,' Jay gave a nervous cough, 'the barrier appeared as part of the Disconnection. It was one of the few things which affected all realities and not just the Circle of Six. Up until that point the dead were advised not to interfere in the affairs of the living, but there was nothing to actually stop them from doing so.'

SK gripped his hair as he shook his head from side to side. It was pretty clear he was struggling to come to terms with what was happening and Jay's not so useful information wasn't exactly helping.

'If there is a barrier, then how are you and SK here?' Mokuba asked the question no one else appeared able to.

'Every now and then exceptions need to be made,' Jay shrugged, 'there are holes in the barrier all over the place. I know where to find most of them, but SK was sent here on purpose. At least I'm pretty sure of that.'

'Because I was needed to make sure the descendents of the Brotherhood were all in the same place?' SK gave a strained sounding laugh before licking his lips again. 'Is there supposed to come a point where any of this makes sense, because right now I'm not totally convinced I want to reach it.'

'It gets easier. And hey, at least you didn't discover some hitchhiker had attached themselves to you when you died.' A hyena-like laugh escaped Jay. 'Because trust me, that's one headache I could really have done without.'

'Hitchhiker?'

'It doesn't matter.' Jay began picking at his food. 'It's probably a lot more information than you can handle right now.'

'I'm not sure I can handle anything right now,' SK stared down at his own plate. 'I feel like everything has changed...'

'Everything has changed.' Jay's eyes lifted to meet his. 'Everything is different for you now, but that doesn't mean you don't have a place. And it doesn't mean you're not SK.'

'So what exactly is my place?'

'That's not for me to decide. You'll find out for yourself... soon... probably...'

'You don't sound so sure about that.'

'Well... I don't really know how the normal process works. My place after my death was decided by my hitchhiker, so I don't really know who decides these things or if you get any say in the matter at all. I wish I could be more help, but...' Jay shrugged.

'Does it hurt?' Mokuba heard the words come out of his mouth, but couldn't really believe he was the one saying them.

'Does what hurt?' Jay frowned at him.

'Being dead. Does it hurt?'

'Dying hurts,' SK's tongue skated across his lips, 'or at least my death hurt. But actually being dead... I can't even remember the last time I even felt hungry.'

'Or tired,' Jay tilted his head to one side and smirked. 'Doesn't mean you can't sleep or eat or drink or be merry. And it doesn't mean you can't feel or fall in love. Being dead just means you don't require these things, but it doesn't stop you from wanting them. The want is what makes you human.'

'I don't want to eat,' SK pushed his plate away, 'what I want is more time. I've just found my family and now... I'm going to be pulled away from them again, aren't I?'

'The dead can't remain with the living forever; they need to be able to grieve and so do we,' Jay lowered his gaze. 'When I first died I never thought I'd understand that and even though I do now I still... I still can't let go. There are still people who make me wish more than anything I wasn't dead. Love,' he blinked back tears, 'it's the one thing with the ability to keep us human, always. Never lose your ability to feel it.'

'I don't want to be dead. I'm too young to be dead.'

'Nobody's too young to be dead,' Jay sighed as he pulled SK's plate towards himself, 'it's the sad and ironic fact of life. Death doesn't have an age limit. Death just is.'


	63. Chapter 63

**Chapter 63**

Yugi's eyes examined Joey carefully. He knew there was something different about his friend and it wasn't just the new multi-tonal qualities to his voice. The way he spoke, the way he held himself, even the way he looked at others just wasn't like him. Something had happened to completely change his personality to the point where Yugi almost believed somebody might be controlling him somehow, but he was too afraid to ask the questions he knew needed to be asked. Instead he waited patiently with an unamused Kaiba for Joey to tell them what they needed to do next.

'We need to find Catilin,' Joey's eyes flicked between the two of them.

'That's what you need my help for,' Kaiba folded his arms and half turned away, 'because I'm not exactly...'

'You have no idea how much damage she can do right now,' Joey cut him off, 'but I've no doubt you'll find out for yourself soon enough.'

'Has she done something already?' Yugi frowned.

'Things have changed.'

'Does that include Joey?'

'If you're about to launch into one of your fairytale rants Yugi, then save it,' Kaiba rolled his eyes, 'I've had just about all I can take of that nonsense for one lifetime.'

'Kaiba even you must be able to see something has happened to Joey.'

'All I see is that dog has gone and got himself an almost interesting little talent and an unnecessary sense of self importance. Neither of which proves anything.'

'Fascinating,' Joey moved towards Kaiba in order to study him up close, 'you're nothing like him, but you're a whole lot more like her.'

'Get away from me Wheeler, or was personal space the skill you had to loose in order to perform these little party tricks of yours.'

'Who are you?' Yugi forced himself to ask the question he'd been too frightened to ask.

'I am Joey now,' Joey backed away from Kaiba in order to examine his own hands.

'But...?'

'The part of me which is your friend will re-exert itself once we have fixed Catilin,' Joey flicked his gaze towards Yugi. 'That's all you need to know.'

'But... I...'

'I said that is all you need to know,' Joey folded his arms. 'Now we need to find Catilin and quickly.'

'Do you know where she might be?' Yugi gave a nervous cough.

'She'll be looking for the others...' he turned away.

'The others?'

'It doesn't matter. Look, I think I know how to find her, but we have to hurry,' Joey unfolded his arms in order to stare down at his own hands again, 'this is a mortal problem and the cost has already been too high.'

* * *

'Mistresses, oh Mistresses, come out come out wherever you are,' it taunted. 'I know you're here somewhere and your Guardians can no longer protect you.'

She half glanced out of the crack in the wall they were hidden behind. The sight of the knife in the dark being's hands was enough to make her blood run cold. Her sister gripped onto her arm and turned her featureless face away. She might have been the youngest, but out of the two of them she was the strongest and it was now her job to protect her sister, no matter what.

'Come on Mistresses, I just wanna have a little fun with you. Just like in the good old days. You still remember them, right?'

Deep pain from the palms of her hands alerted her to the fact she was clenching her fists. The second she realised them her fingers began to ache. Everything in her wanted to go out there and fight, but she'd made a promise to her eldest sister. A promise she refused to break no matter how much she disagreed with it.

'I will find you Mistresses and when I do,' the sound of its laughter filled her with mixed feelings of fear and anger, 'when I do my fun will really begin. And I like having fun Mistresses; you do remember that, right?'

* * *

Kaiba felt sick to his stomach. He might not have cared about Joey's little problem. He might not have believed they'd just been magically transported to whatever this place they were now in was supposed to be. But he did believe the massacre of bodies and the giant pool of blood spread out before him were very real. In the centre of the mess a boy of about ten was knelt cradling his head. His clothes were soaked in blood, as was the large sword he still held in his right hand.

'I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to do it.' He was muttering over and over again.

The sound of his words made Kaiba's stomach cringe. He didn't want to believe a child was capable of this level of violence, but all the evidence pointed that way.

'I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to do it.' His head lifted towards them, but his gaze barely registered they were there. 'I had no choice. I had no choice. It was inside my head. It was inside my head. It made me do it. I had no choice. I didn't want to. I didn't want to. But I... I couldn't... couldn't stop. I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to do it.'

'Whatever you do, don't touch the blade of his sword,' Joey picked his way across the room, 'it's coated with Destruction.'

'Destruction?' Kaiba cocked an eyebrow, not totally sure he liked the callous way Joey appeared to be making his way across the bodies.

'It's a type of poison which prevents healing; very dangerous and potentially lethal even to the already dead.'

'I didn't mean to do it,' the boy's eyes flicked towards Joey as he drew level with him. 'I swear I didn't mean to do it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But it got inside my head. It got inside my head. Absolute control is absolute. It got inside my head. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry.'

'Sorry doesn't bring them back,' the coldness of Joey's words made even Kaiba flinch.

'I didn't want to. I didn't mean to. I swear. It got inside my head. It got inside my head.'

'You're no good to anyone like this.' Joey turned away from him. 'You might as well be like the others.'

'Joey...' Yugi gawked at him, 'how can you say that?'

'Look at him,' Joey's body tensed, 'then look around you. Tell me what good he can be to anyone after this. His body might still be in one piece, but he no more survived than they did.'

'Who are _they_ supposed to be anyway?' Kaiba tried to play it cool.

'The Guardians of the Mistresses, there are seven of them in total including the Helper, who acts as their official leader.' Joey folded his arms. 'The Guardians are picked because they are special, exceptional even; it will not be easy to replace them.'

'I only count six in total,' Kaiba's eyes scanned the room, 'unless...'

'The Helper is currently with Tristan and the others; although right now I'm not sure if I'm grateful for that or not.' Joey gave a heavy sigh, but with his current multi-tonal voice it was hard to judge what the sigh was for. 'We have to stop Catilin before she reaches them; if she's capable of what I think she is then this little scene was just practice.'

Kaiba let Joey's words sink in as he turned over the room for what felt like the millionth time. No matter how much he took it in, he still couldn't make it any less horrific. He might not have cared a whole lot about Joey and he certainly didn't appreciate the way he was currently being held hostage, but there was no way the person responsible for this should be allowed to run wild. Because anyone capable of brainwashing an innocent child into murder was worse than scum and beyond redemption.

'Lead the way Wheeler,' Kaiba crossed the room towards him, 'the sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can get away from you freaks.'

'You're trying to act like this doesn't bother you, but it's there in your voice,' Joey's eyes watched him with a harsh kind of curiosity. 'You really are more like her than he was.'

'I've no idea what you're talking about Wheeler and I don't really care. You're the one who wants us to get on with this thing, so quit stalling.'

'She's near, I can sense it,' Joey moved towards the doorway at the far side of the room, 'and when we find her I need you both to be ready to follow my instructions, do you understand? We only get one shot at this; a single mistake and we only delay the inevitable, we don't stop it. And delaying it is _not_ acceptable.'

* * *

It knew they had to be somewhere nearby. It could sense them. Feel them. Smell them. But the one thing it couldn't do was see them. No matter how hard it searched it couldn't uncover their hiding place. A stirring of sound from behind it made it turn. A slow dark smile crept across its face as it realised just who it was faced with.

'I didn't expect you back so soon,' it took a few steps towards them, 'someone might think you had this all planned.'

'It's no concern of yours if I did,' the blond took a few steps toward it, 'the only thing you need to concern yourself with now is what am I going to do with you.'

'Loving the new voice; did it come free with the attitude?'

'You will regret mocking me.'

'I already beat you once, what makes you think I won't again?'

'Because I let you win last time,' like a flash the blond was behind it, wrapping his arms tightly round its body so it couldn't retaliate, 'so that I could win this time.'

'I'd like to see you try.'

'Trying suggests I won't succeed,' the blond gave a muted laugh, 'but you see I have no choice. I have to beat you, it's the only way.'

* * *

The sudden change of location had disorientated Yugi. It made it almost impossible for him to focus on anything around him for a couple of minutes and when things eventually pulled clear he was glad to see he wasn't the only one in a state of confusion. Kaiba flicked an unimpressed glance in his direction and folded his arms. Unfortunately for him it didn't matter how much bravo he tried to pull off, he couldn't hide the slightly sick look which flushed across his cheeks.

'Bet you think you're really clever, don't you?' Catilin glared at Joey, the anger so clear on her face it could have been written there in permanent marker.

'I don't think, I know,' Joey's multi-tonal voice sounded strangely calm. 'Take a look around you; do you have any idea where we are?'

Yugi found himself glancing around the large stone chamber they were in. There was something familiar about it, although Yugi was pretty certain he'd never been there before. The walls were decorated with hieroglyphics and Egyptian style images, including one of three men stood around a triangle. The triangle had a strange un-Egyptian symbol in the centre of it and the three men themselves were the spitting image of Joey, Kaiba and himself. Yugi sucked a deep breath in and stared down at the ground in front of him. On the floor, carved with a strange kind of intricate detail for the simplicity of its design was a large triangle with the same strange symbol inside it as the image on the wall.

'In this room the Brotherhood of Brothers was formed.' Joey lowered his head. 'Simüte moved this chamber here shortly after Tao's death, because he knew the knowledge locked within its walls was too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands.'

'You think that's enough to intimidate me?' Catilin laughed. 'Oooh scary chamber, filled with great mortal power. I'm quaking.'

'You should be. The Brotherhood of Brothers were no ordinary mortals, that's why they were being watched so closely. You now stand before their Khines,' Joey pulled himself up to his full height, 'mortals with even greater potential than their predecessors had. As you are you stand no chance against them.'

'Because I am a mortal problem?' She rolled her eyes.

'You do not see your own limitations, you never have. But right now you are a mortal problem and mortals will be the ones to deal with you.'

'I am not a...' was as far as Catilin got before Joey flicked his hand and sent her body hurtled across the room.

With the same invisible force he pinned her to the symbol in the centre of the triangle. His eyes then turned towards Yugi and Kaiba as he positioned himself on one of the points of the triangle.

'Kaiba, Yugi, you must stand on the other two points.'

'I don't think so Wheeler,' Kaiba folded his arms, 'I'm not…'

'I thought you wanted to help me.' Joey glared at him.

'No, you're making me help you and I don't much appreciate being ordered around.'

'Kaiba you've seen what this wretch is capable of, how can you still be so arrogant?'

'Unless this plan of yours involves a straight jacket or an execution I don't see how it's going to be enough to punish her for what she did.' The level of anger in Kaiba's words surprised Yugi.

For half a second he found himself re-evaluating the situation. He knew Catilin was being possessed by something dark and evil, but Kaiba did have a point. How could anything redeem her from what the dark half of herself had done?

'Yugi, have faith this part of Joey knows what he's doing,' the Pharaoh's image appeared in his mind's eye.

'How can I when I don't even know what he's planning right now?'

'Because he's your friend and he needs you.'

A slim smile formed on Yugi's face as the image of the Pharaoh melted back into him. He then moved towards the point of the triangle closest to him.

'I might have known you'd side with Wheeler,' Kaiba gritted his teeth. 'This magic fairytale mumbo-jumbo isn't going to help anyone right now. She needs to be locked away.'

'And that's exactly what I'm planning to do Kaiba.' Joey flicked his gaze towards him, his eyes glazed over with a glowing white light. 'I'm planning to lock the darkness away. But I need your help for that. Move to the third point. Now.'

'This is insane.'

'Move or so help me I'll make you move.'

Kaiba went to protest, but Joey didn't even let him get the words out. With one flick of his hand Kaiba was sent flying to the third point in the triangle. His eyes glared up at Joey as he pulled himself to his feet and dusted himself down.

'I don't care about what you think of my methods, I'm the eldest therefore you will do what I say.'

'Does that line normally work for you?' Kaiba's face filled with an unimpressed look as he cocked an eyebrow.

'It's never failed me yet.' A white aura began to swirl around Joey. 'We need to do this together. United we can lock the darkness away and bring back the innocent Catilin.' He stretched a hand out towards her.

'And you expect to do that with a little light show?'

'Just do as I do Kaiba,' Joey gritted his teeth, 'and have a little faith.'

'I might have known you'd eventually start talking to me about faith,' Kaiba grunted. 'When are you dweebs going to...?'

'Just do as I have asked or I will force you to do it.'

The two of them stared challengingly at each other for a few minutes. Yugi swallowed hard and felt as though he were trapped in the centre of a storm. He'd never known the animosity between Kaiba and Joey to be so equally pegged before. Normally it's was almost all Joey. Whether he was willing to admit it or not, Kaiba was starting to see Joey as a threat; at least this part of Joey at any rate. It didn't matter if he believed in the power Joey was demonstrating or the fantastical nature of the situation around them, this Joey was intimidating enough to make Kaiba sit up and take notice. Yugi felt his insides squirm, as Kaiba turned his gaze away.

'This is nonsense Wheeler, but if it'll get you off of my back,' Kaiba lifted his right hand towards Catilin.

Almost instantly the white aura which was circling around Joey stretched towards Kaiba, forming a swirling line between them. There was something eerily beautiful about it and without prompting Yugi knew what he had to do.

'You should really listen to Kaiba,' Catilin's face filled with a darkly amused look as the white aura formed a complete triangle around her, 'this is madness and you know it. You might be a threat to me, but these mortals will never be enough to cage me.'

'You're wrong,' the white aura fully engulfed Joey, turning him into a blazing figure of light, 'whether you want to believe it or not you're a mortal problem now so these mortals are all I need.'


	64. Chapter 64

**Chapter 64**

It was strange. For the longest time there had been nothing. No thoughts. No feelings. Just a sense that he was drifting in a comforting bath of darkness. Then from somewhere unseen a hand had reached out towards him. He didn't know whose it was or why it was there, but it was real and it was strong. It pulled him gently through the darkness until he felt like he was close to something real then it just left him there.

A world of empty noise filled the space around him. Voices raising and lowering in pitch. Some he knew. Some he didn't. All close by. All moving between being loud and being silent. It felt as though they were on the edge of his reality, tugging him forwards. Then a long silence came. Like someone had taken a deep breath and put all the voices on pause. There was something long and poignant about the silence. Empty too. Empty and lonely.

For the first time the darkness no longer made sense to him. Somewhere in the back of his head he knew this wasn't how things had always been. There was something before this. Something real. Something solid. Something filled with light and voices. Voices who knew him. Who wanted him. Who maybe even needed him. He wanted more than anything to be with those voices, but he didn't know how. Then a harder thought struck. One which made his head spin and his stomach feel sick. Real feelings. Feelings he'd been missing before. Welcome yet somehow so disconcerting. The thought struck again, magnifying everything till he couldn't keep it at bay any longer.

He didn't know who he was. He couldn't remember his own name. He knew he'd had one once. One which he was proud of. But that name had been taken away from him somehow... No, not taken, stolen. Someone had stolen his name for him and he needed to get it back. He needed to get it back or else he could never wake up.

But how... how could he get it back when he had no idea who took it to begin with? Or did he? Somewhere inside his mind an image appeared. The image blurred into a memory. A face. The one who'd taken his name from him. The Boy. His body filled with a mixture of confusing emotions. Anger. Jealousy. Grief. Acceptance. Pity. Wonder. Wanting. He wanted. He wanted his name back. He wanted his life back. But to do that he had to remember who he was.

He pushed the images further back wanting to remember everything which had come before the Boy. There were holes. Big, ugly black holes over faces, like someone had taken a blunt pair of scissors and cut them out. The further back he tried to push his memory the more black holes appeared. The more things were cut out and lost to him. This only made the feeling of wanting stronger. He had to get his life back. He had to.

From out of the darkness the image of a dice dropped. It landed and rolled in front of him making loud, echoy slaps as it flicked from face to face. The dice felt familiar to him, like an old friend come to visit. The more he stared at the dice, the more he needed to understand about why it was there. For a second it stopped rolling. Six was on top.

'That's the wrong number,' his own voice echoed around his head.

The dice started rolling again, the slapping snaps of each movement compelling him to move further and further forward. Closer and closer to something he wasn't sure he could touch yet. When the dice stopped again five was on top. A strange and thrilling feeling filled him as the first letter of his name appeared in his mind.

'Not the right number yet. Not the right number.' His mental voice soothed. 'But soon it'll roll my lucky number and I will be the king of dice again.'

* * *

As much as Téa wasn't sure if she liked the new _take-charge_ Tristan or not, she hated his moody silence even more. He was the only person at the table to neither eat nor participate in any of the conversations which had been going on. From the moment he'd sat down with their food he'd been silent or at least Téa couldn't remember him saying anything. And it didn't matter how hard she tried to get him involved he just continued to stare vacantly, with a hardened jaw whilst his right hand twisted and pulled at the material of his shirt above his stomach.

In a single, isolating moment, Téa realised she was slowly losing all of her friends. But whereas Joey and Yugi had little choice about whether or not they drifted away from the group, she felt as though Tristan was walking away from them. He might have made a big fuss earlier about feeling like he was losing them, but the truth was he was choosing not to let them get involved. And maybe he was finding it difficult to explain what was happening to him, but he hadn't really tried.

'Tristan...' Téa made a final attempt to reach out to him, but before she could finish what she was saying he was on his feet.

'Someone should check on Duke.'

'I'll go with you,' Téa jumped up. 'I'm starting to feel a little sick of the food. You and Jay shouldn't have brought us back so much of it.'

'I don't want you...' Tristan cut himself off. 'I need to be alone right now.'

'Tristan...'

'Téa, please, give me ten minutes to myself.' Tristan massaged his forehead. 'I need time to think and I can't do that if you keep chattering at me.'

'I...'

'Téa let him be on his own,' Mai placed a hand on Téa's arm. 'He's the only one of us who's not had any sleep recently, remember? That can make anyone cranky, so just let him have his space, okay?'

'Okay Tristan, ten minutes and then the rest of us will come and join you,' Téa sat herself back down.

'Sure, whatever,' he walked away.

'I wish I knew what was wrong with him,' Téa sighed as her gaze followed him out the door.

'Things have changed,' Jay stared down at the empty plate in front of him, 'he sensed it the same moment I did, only he doesn't understand how or why.'

'But you do understand?'

'Yes.'

'So can't you explain it to him?'

'I tried. I thought it was what he wanted, but he shut me off,' Jay shrugged. 'I think... I think he's too tired to process anything right now. He needs sleep.'

'I think that's something we can all agree with,' Téa's face pulled into a sad smile, 'I feel like we're losing him.'

'He's not lost Téa; he just can't find his way right now.' Jay paused for a moment, before laughing. 'Would you listen to me, getting all metaphorical and deep and stuff, anyone would think I was some kind of sage.'

'Aren't you?' SK shot him a curious look.

'No, I'm just a kid.' Jay smirked. 'The only special thing about me is Octan.'

'Aren't you underselling yourself a little there?' SK's tongue skated across his lips. 'I mean, you seem pretty together to me. For your age I mean.'

'Only because I have to be right now. Believe me; I could do without this maturity headache.' Jay laughed again. 'Truth is I'm a kid and I'm always going to be a kid. That's the thing about death, it doesn't matter how long your body is in the ground for or how mature you can act when you need to, you remain the age you were when you died, always. For me that means raging hormones and impulsive immaturity. So I get what everyone wants, right, die young and stay pretty. Except the one thing I want more than anything is to grow up. Because hormones make you do stupid things. They make you feel stupid things. Things you can't do anything about because you're dead.'

'I don't think I'd want to be a kid forever,' Serenity lowered her head.

'Then don't die young. The gods know I wish I hadn't.'

* * *

A weird buzzing of reality moved around Joey's head as he waded back through the deafening field of voices. Light and fuzzy images filled his vision as the voices died back down to a whisper at the back of his head. They left an ache at the back of his skull and he wished more than anything they would go away, but something told Joey he was going to have to learn to live with them.

In an attempt to ignore the pain he focused on the situation in front of him. He was in a strange chamber, with hieroglyphics on the wall. On the floor just in front of him was the unconscious body of Catilin. She was in the centre of a triangle and he was stood on one of the points of that triangle. Yugi and Kaiba were on the other two points. Their right arms, like his, were pointed towards Catilin.

'What happened?' Joey's gaze met with Yugi's.

'Joey...?'

'Who else would it be?'

'Looks like that loser's voice is back to normal,' Kaiba folded his arms. 'Does that mean we can leave now?'

'Err... I guess,' Joey moved towards Catilin's unconscious body and scooped her up into his arms. 'She's okay now, right?'

'Shouldn't you be the one telling us that?' Kaiba cocked an eyebrow at him. 'I still think you should lock her up somewhere and throw away the key, but then again I'm not a soft touch like you are Wheeler.'

'What are you...?' A sudden flash of images rocketed through Joey's mind, making him gasp. 'It wasn't her fault. She's not to blame for that.'

'Keep telling yourself that Wheeler. Now take me home, I've had about as much as I can take of all of you right now.'

'Okay,' Joey shifted Catilin's body into a more comfortable holding position. 'But you two are going to need to move closer to me, I'm not sure I can take all four of us there at the same time else.'

'You had no problem with it before.'

'I...'

'Kaiba, Joey's probably just tired from whatever we just did to Catilin,' Yugi moved towards him. 'Give him a break.'

'Like he deserves one after the way he's been treating me,' Kaiba joined Yugi in moving towards Joey.

Once they were close enough, Joey concentrated on transporting them all back to Duke's hospital room. It was a lot easier than he expected it to be, but a part of him felt exhausted for doing so. He placed Catilin's body down onto the bed next to Duke's and sank back into the chair behind him.

'Your back,' Tristan's voice made him start a little.

Joey's eyes rose to meet with his. There was something about the way his friend was staring at him which made him feel uncomfortable. He squirmed and shifted himself into an awkward position, almost instantly wishing he hadn't.

'I was worrying over nothing,' Tristan laughed and ran his fingers back through his hair.

'What?' Joey frowned at him.

'It doesn't matter. Trust me it really doesn't matter.' For the first time in almost a day a real smile appeared on Tristan's face and his whole being relaxed. 'So did you fix Catilin?'

'I think so,' Joey shifted his gaze towards her, 'but I guess we won't know for sure until she wakes up.'

Tristan was about to say something else when the door to the room opened and the others entered. Joey's gaze turned towards Jay and SK as something weird chomped at the lining of his stomach.

'Why are you two still here?' The words came out of his mouth almost before he could stop them.

'What?' SK's tongue skated across his lips.

'I...' Joey hesitated. 'I guess I expected you to be gone already. You do know you can't stay around here forever, right?'

'I know, but... I was hoping under the circumstances...' his gaze turned towards the Kaiba brothers.

'I'm sorry, but it doesn't work that way. You're going to have to say your goodbyes to them now.' Joey sighed. 'Things get confusing when the dead and the living interact too much,' he focused his gaze on Jay.

'Please... please tell me you're not...' Jay half shook his head as he stared at Joey. 'Please tell me you're not banning me from seeing her.'

'I'm sorry Jay,' Joey's gaze went towards Catilin, 'but it's my job to protect her now.'

'And... and you think you need to protect her from me?' Jay sounded heartbroken.

'Yes. Yes I do.' Joey was surprised by how much confidence there was in his voice. 'Octan might have been the one to break her, but you were the catalyst.'

'But... I... I didn't know... I...'

'It doesn't matter whether you knew or not Jay, the fact is you're just as responsible for her condition as Octan is.' Joey glanced towards him. 'It's my job to protect her now and the way I see it the most dangerous threat to her is you.'

'But I would... I would never hurt her. I care...'

'You care too much about her Jay and it's not your job. Not anymore.' Joey's jaw hardened. 'You are to wait until SK says his goodbyes and then you're to take him back with you.'

'But...'

'I mean it Jay. I don't want you around Catilin anymore. You can stay here until SK has said his goodbyes and then you're both to stay away. It's the way it's supposed to be. The way it has been for a long time now,' Joey's gaze locked with Jay's, 'and if Octan had stuck to the rules we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with. He started this when he became a part of you and now I'm ending it.'

Joey got back to his feet and scooped Catilin back up into his arms. He took a deep breath in and felt the weight of responsibility press hard against him. He'd known for a while being a Lutoni with a Calicaccu for an Ashmar was going to make life complicated, but he never thought it would mean saying goodbye to his friends like this. He wasn't even sure when he realised that's what he had to do, but now he knew there was no point in delaying the inevitable any longer.

'Are you at least going to say goodbye before you take off?' Once again Tristan's voice made him start.

'Do you really have to leave now big brother?' Serenity blinked up at him. 'Can't you at least stay a little longer?'

'No,' Joey shook his head, 'it's time for me to leave now.'

'When will you be back?' Téa took a step towards him. 'I mean, you will be back, right? We still have school and...'

'I'm pretty sure he's dropping out of school Téa,' Tristan folded his arms.

'But...'

'Tristan's right Téa, Joey has a whole new life he has to get used to now,' Yugi placed a hand on her shoulder. 'We should be happy for him.'

'And you'll be back to visit sometime, right big brother?' Serenity's gaze was almost pleading.

'Of course I will,' Joey smiled weakly back at her, 'I just don't know when. It may be some time, there's a lot of stuff...'

'Just leave already would you Wheeler,' Kaiba rolled his eyes. 'It's not like anyone's really going to care that you're gone.'

'Kaiba...' Joey felt anger bubble inside of him for a second, but he let it go. 'You know what rich boy, for once you're not even worth it. I have to leave now and I don't know when I'll be back. But I promise you all you will see me again one day; there's just a lot I need to do right now.'

'Then get going already you big goof,' Mai winked at him, 'if you stay any longer I think people are going to start crying and the last thing any of us need to see is a blubbering Tristan.'

'Watch it,' Tristan glared at her.

'I'm going to miss all of you,' Joey laughed and shook his head, 'but this isn't goodbye, this is just... see you later.'

* * *

The dice was showing his lucky number at last. It had taken a while, but it had finally reached it. Voice filtered with a surreal kind of urgency around him as he felt himself move out of the darkness and into the comfort of a body. His body. He'd finally found form again.

'Did you see that, I think he moved?' The words snapped around him with an unreal focus.

He felt his eyes twitch open and blurred images backed with light began to fill his vision. At first the light was too bright. So bright it hurt to look at it. He closed his eyes again, but that didn't feel comfortable either.

'Can you hear us?' Another voice sounded out of the blurred mess around him.

A deep groan made its way out of his body. Words were too much effort and he just wanted to be left alone.

'I think he's coming round, someone should get a doctor or nurse or something...'

'I'll go.'

'Are you sure?'

'It's not like I haven't spent the last few days doing the running around thing, what's once more going to hurt?'

There were a few moments of silence, then one of the blurs leant over him.

'Hey, are you okay? Do you know who you are?'

'Duke,' the word pulled out of him as though it were the most important thing in the world. 'My name is Duke.'

End.


End file.
